The Poisoned Prince
by blossomtoxin
Summary: Ben Leith Organa is known as 'The Poisoned Prince' all throughout his Kindgom - having been poisoned twice and lived to tell about it. Many believe him to be poison, inside and out. His life is one of boring repose; until a remnant from his past, long forgotten, reappears and brings danger with her. Alternate Universe; fantasy Ben Solo x Rey slow burn? kind of?
1. Chapter 1

Ben had been a young boy the first time someone had tried to poison him. He had been twelve, and his ears were too big for his head. They stuck out awkwardly, causing him to pull on them each time he looked at himself in the spyglass. He had moles, from the sun, and his hair, while black, was cropped in an awkward fashion too close to his skull. He had grown substantially in a short period of time, sending him shooting up to be almost two heads taller than his mother, who stood short and reedy next to her son. The clothing of a Prince never seemed to suit him. The doublets never felt as if they fit right, and he felt downright ridiculous in the frilly, lacy shirts others often chose for him. He was awkward, unaware of his body in a painfully aware way, causing him to sometimes knock things over or trip on himself. The daughters of the courtiers made fun of his ears, sometimes behind his back, and sometimes right to his face; pulling on their own and blowing out their cheeks like monkeys.

Ben never said a word, he knew what it meant to be the daughter of a courtier and bully the Prince.

Ben was also twelve when he made his first friend. He had wandered off from his sparring lessons - he was ages ahead of the other boys, and though he took private lessons as well, his mother saw the importance of forcing him to be in the presence of other boys his own age, even if they stood off and treated him as if he were glass. He was in the process of hacking down offending tall grass, and unaware of himself, he wandered far out onto the grounds. Beyond the gardens, there was wild forest - and of course, there were myths about it. Ben paid it no heed, and wandered into the canopied area frequently, sometimes just to lay on his back and stare at the sky through the bramble of high growing trees.

He was participating in one such activity when someone's head poked into his view. He was startled, he hadn't even heard anyone come up on him, no telltale crunch of the needles that had fallen from the trees, no snapping branches. Nothing. She was different from him in every way - her skin was a tanned brown, dotted here and there with freckles, her hair a fine shade of chestnut brown that caught the light with glimmering red. She looked at him with kindness, though when one of her braids fell into her face it contorted as she tried to blow it away from her mouth. He laughed, and so did she, after asking him what had been so funny.

They sat across each other and examined one another as the sun dipped lower into the sky. When Ben looked beyond her, he could see the dusting of pastel and stars, indicating the moons would be up soon. He examined her face, her sharp, dark eyes and her slender face. She was obviously not the daughter of a courtier, dressed in the plain cloth of a student, though he was sure he had never seen her before. She had a smudge of river mud on her face, which sparkled with Mica. There were wildflowers woven into her hair.

"What's your name?" She finally asked.

"Ben L-" He paused, realizing he was fearful of giving her his full name. So, he omitted. "Just Ben," He reached out, taking up a handful of cold dirt in his hands. "What's yours?"

"Call me Wildflower," She said, without hesitation. He didn't think it was her real name, but he didn't press her. She took one out of her hair and offered it to him. "I have to go home, Just Ben," She admitted, watching him slowly take the offering. "Want to meet here tomorrow?"

"Sure," He said, surprised at the invite. No one ever invited him to play.

"Bye, Just Ben," She said, and disappeared as silently as she had come, leaving him with only a flower.

* * *

They met like this in secret for the next few weeks. They did not speak to one another much, instead choosing to laugh, play, and generally exhaust one another. They had taken to fighting each other with sticks, though sometimes Ben was able to sneak away with a couple of the practice swords that they used when being trained. She bested him almost every time, and frustrated him when she didn't, as he often believed she lost on purpose. She was fast and agile where he was clumsy and unsure, and he knew that she had likely been receiving some sort of training. There were temples for girls like her, taught to fight or taught to steal, and Ben wondered if she was an orphan.

She didn't seem to know, or care who he was, and after their initial meeting they never really spoke of it again. She was not stupid though, and had to have noticed the finery that he wore, often darted through with glimmering red thread. Black and red, the colors of his court. He had been stripping down to his plainclothes until one of the old stable masters had found them in the brush and reported it to his mother - so that had not lasted, forcing him to show up dressed in whatever he had been dressed in for training. When they weren't play fighting, they were climbing trees or tossing heavy stones into the river. Oftentimes, Wildflower declared herself as 'King', and Ben didn't care to correct her. Instead, he found himself happy to play whatever role she stuck on him, even if it meant swabbing the deck. He would go home before sunset when Wildflower would inevitably disappear. He was always bruised, but always happy.

One day, when he went to meet her, he found her gone. She didn't show up at all, and after the sun had set, Ben knew it wasn't likely she would. This continued on for nearly a week, and he began to get hopeless that she would ever return. He wondered if he should have asked her more questions about where she came from, and where he could find her, but even he realized the silliness in that. If she was an orphan, how would he explain wanting to search for her to his mother? To anyone?

He was resolved to stop disappearing into the forest after the sixth day of her disappearance; resolved until she showed up with a basket in hand. She dropped it down in front of him. He looked, finding it was full of food and drink. He wanted to be angry with her, but perhaps his confusion at it overrode his hurt. He wanted to ask her where she had been, but she silenced him before he even got a chance to ask, explaining quickly that 'she hadn't been able to get away'.

They didn't have as much time as they normally might have, but she began by pulling out a blanket and spreading it out for them to sit on. Ben found he wasn't hungry, but watched as Wildflower began to dole out food. It was obvious she was, and she had a sort of feral way of eating, as if she was afraid that someone might take the food right from her hand. Ben ate a few pieces of fruit, finding it was unusual that he didn't recognize some of it. She pulled out the bottle of liquid once she had finished eating, and handed it over to him after plucking the cork out of it. It smelled like alcohol, causing Ben to wrinkle his nose and shake his head.

"Go on, it's muckberry wine," She admitted. "It's actually very sweet once you mull it down," She gave him a smile. A genuine, glimmering smile.

He was unsure, but he took a swig of it after a few moments of thinking and a few more prods from Wildflower. It burned, all the way down, and had the sort of sweet, cloying after taste that reminded him vaguely of rotting fruit. He coughed a little, his lips stained a dark purple. It didn't take long, his vision became blurry and his throat started to burn. It was painful, but he struggled to keep consciousness and could not keep himself awake to even focus on the pain. He didn't realize he was dying.

* * *

Of course, anyone with a basic knowledge of toxic plants would have known that muckberry was poisonous. Especially poisonous when mulled into a drink. The berries were a bright, uncouth pink normally, and only obtained their deep purple color when they'd been boiled down and fermented. Ben hadn't been an expert toxicologist. He would have known that the berries are nearly inedible, good only for a stomach ache and only for the casketbirds who ate them and left behind bright pink bird shit in their wake. He would have known those things, but he didn't. He was just accepting a drink from a friend.

If he hadn't left his practice sword on the edge of the grounds out of thoughtlessness, the old stable-hand might not have gone looking for him. His mother had warned all of the staff to keep an eye out for him, as she had suddenly become suspicious of where her son was spending all of his time. He wouldn't have found Ben, convulsing in the forest, purple froth bubbling up from his mouth. He would not have carried Ben all the way home, screaming for a temple Monk or the resident physician to help him, as it was an emergency. Most likely, Wildflower would have hit her mark, and Ben would have died.

He spent many weeks in the infirmary with his mother by his side. If it hadn't been for her knowledge of herbs and medicine he might have been in a coma until he stopped breathing, but she was largely credited for bringing him out of it. She sat by him all day and all night, only disrupted when his father took her place and told her to try and sleep.

When he finally woke up, he had a fever. Every part of his body ached. He wasn't sure he had ever felt such pain, and would ever feel such pain again. His mother sat with him, and they played cards silently when he wasn't in too much pain to do so. Eventually, little by little, he began to be allowed walks, though his mother was always glued to his side, as if he might slip away if she let him go. They got back to routine, as best they could, but Ben was not allowed to go anywhere without a guard. His lessons became cloistered, only him, and his father hired Ser Snoke, an old battle scarred mercenary who had been paid a kings' ransom to agree to take the job.

His first lesson with Snoke had been watched by his mother (who could not see the value in hiring a mercenary to teach her son), and each time she protested each new bruise and the 'wind being knocked out of him' disarming, Snoke only laughed. Finally, Snoke bent down to offer his hand, which Ben took. However, Snoke only pushed him back into the dirt, causing him to inhale a good deal of it and cough it all up.

"Stop this," His mother commanded. Snoke only looked at her.

"Why? The boy should learn the value of never trusting anyone, ever again,"

It was a declaration he was sure had come from his Father.

* * *

Snoke's lessons were relentless, daily affairs that often included a verbal lashing. Once Ben had gotten well enough (and skilled enough) to hold his own, Snoke had taken to finding more brutal ways to teach him his only value. No trust, not ever. Ben began to do better at the risk of his own hide, but Snoke was crafty in ways that many people might not ever expect. He never took it easy on Ben, and when Ben was distracted or tired, he paid the price for it. Ben hated him, but had come to have a begrudging respect for him.

His lessons in toxicology (and other things), fell to his uncle Luke. Luke was far kinder than Snoke, though even less accepting of mistakes. Ben learned how to speak multiple languages, he learned math and art, but he took the most interest in plants - especially poisonous ones. Luke and Ben began the painful process of building resistance, something that he himself insisted on. It had almost killed him again, but Luke had managed to keep it from his mother - as his uncle had been partially responsible for the second poisoning, even if it was less drastic than the first. However, word got around the Kingdom without anyone trying to spread it, and Ben Leith Organa picked up his new nickname: The Poisoned Prince.

He grew into his limbs, becoming broad of shoulder and long of arm. It made him dangerous on the field, and intimidating off of it. His ears were covered by hair that had grown out, curling into ravens' wing curls. He was still odd looking, but he had come to be comfortable in his body. As he grew, the sparring matches' audience also grew, full of young girls that often came out purely to watch him. He had become hardened and lean by the time he was fully grown, and even had a scar or two, but he seemed to have a sort of 'Dark Prince' appeal to all those that had teased him when he was young. Of course, it didn't hurt that he now moved with a leonine like grace, and was as beautiful and insouciant as a dark, glittering star.

He thought of Wildflower often, but her image began to fade from memory as the years passed. It didn't mean she wasn't always there in some way, but he had stopped thinking of her as often. He had stopped asking himself questions - he had vowed to pay her back. One day, if he ever found her, he would pay her back. However, the sweet, open faced boy he'd once been had turned into something different - he was as sharp as a blade, and almost as unkind. One day, he began to wear cruelty like a mask, until he was just cruel. It disappointed his mother, his father withdrew, and Luke did his best to try and rouse the boy he'd once been. Less obsessive, and less unkind. Ben was dedicated to his new image, however. If he was to be a poison Prince, he would fill the role.

He avoided the forest where they once met. He avoided wine, purely because after that day, there would be no stomaching it, even if it wasn't poisonous. He was always hyper aware of his surroundings, and despite his mothers protestations, he had taken on tasters in an attempt to avoid any further forays into death.

It wouldn't have been surprising, the place had become a restless tangle of favor currying, and Ben knew there were those out there who would try to kill him again when the time came. A shadowy offshoot of Uncle Luke's family, of which were never spoken of, were often blamed for any attempts on anyone's lives. Ben never asked, the most interest he had in it was that someone wanted the throne.

He had taken on a guard, and a strategist. He called his guard The Order, full of black clad mercenaries who were almost as friendly as he was. The head of his guard, Finn - came from the Isles and was dark of skin. He spoke with an accent, and he did not like Ben, but he had enough respect for Leia to take the position anyway. He was in much the same situation with his strategist, where the only respect to be had was in bloodshed and winning battles. Ben was not afraid to kill, and he often did so to protect the borders of his lands from oncoming onslaught. While his land holdings grew, so did his arrogance - but also so did the violence. His mother was still Queen, but in some ways she had become Queen in only name. Ben was responsible for all the conquering, after all.

* * *

That evening, there was to be a party.

Ben had no interest in parties, but his uncle prodded him into going, and it would be unforgivable to miss the anniversary of his mother's birth. Luke had some new apprentice, some new hanger on that he wanted to parade out in front of the Prince and the Queen in an attempt to find her a position of favor in the court. Ben had tried, multiple times to get out of it. He'd even been stabbed in one of the skirmishes with one of the outlying groups that still haunted the borders, but his mother hadn't been convinced that he still needed bed rest. She had seen him work through much worse, and when she clenched her jawline and gave him that motherly look, he realized it was an argument he didn't want to have again. It seemed like she had given up on marrying him, even though his father still occasionally brought it up. Perhaps it was that she couldn't imagine who would want to marry her brutish son.

Ben had not grown up inexperienced, there were plenty of attendants who were willing to let him underneath their skirts as he grew older and more curious. Some of them seemed to view it as a part of their job, but Ben had been lucky in never accidentally getting any of them with child. There were some he liked more than others, but he found it hard to draw a real connection to anyone. He had become cold, and while many of his counterparts were out whoring and drinking, Ben had gotten wholly tired of it. There were certainly times when an itch needed to be scratched, but Ben never stuck around until sunrise.

He had spent the morning in another session with Snoke, who he had landed more than one hit on. Snoke still insisted on calling him a worthless boy, and pointing out the fact that even though he had grown tall, he would never be worthy enough to really rule anything but the stubborn mare out back, and even she would buck him. Ben had learned to take the insults in stride, and the bruises, and when Snoke went for his knife wound, digging his fingers deep until the stitches broke, he did his best not to flinch. Snoke had never been cognizant to his mothers' arguments - and she had yet to win the argument that Snoke ought to be fired with his father. Han was not unkind, but he was the type of man who perhaps saw too much value in a mercenary.

They had given up practice weapons a long time ago, but Ben managed to avoid any further cuts. By the end of the session, he tossed the sword in the dust in front of Snoke, who was smirking at him like a deviant teenager. The dust motes were obvious in the fading sunlight.

"Foolish boy," He said. "When will you ever learn how to properly defend yourself?"

Ben said nothing in reply. There were certain things even he wouldn't stoop to.

He found his way back to his chambers, which had been dusted and tidied in his absence, despite multiple requests to leave his room be. He supposed it was probably his mother, who did not like the idea of him rotting away in a dusty chamber. The room was darkly decorated, with a good deal of shimmering black fabric that turned colors once it was shifted it any direction. Ben tended to prefer grays and blacks, and when he was feeling festive, one might see splashes of crimson here and there. The curtains were drawn open, leaving the room rather brighter than he liked it.

He pulled off his quilted leather training doublet and un-tucked his linen shirt from his leather breeches, finding that it was stained red from Snoke's prodding. He gave an irritated sigh and peeled the bandage away. It would need to be seen to, but Ben didn't have time for it now. He did his best to fix it up so that it wouldn't bleed too much for the next few hours, and promised himself not to do much moving. It would be easy enough, considering he was only expected to sit in his chair and have his boots licked by whatever fanatic came by. Bathing was a chore, but he managed it quickly.

He dressed stiffly, refusing to ask for assistance. He had given up the lace and frills of his boyhood, taking on a look that resembled a general rather than a Prince. He did his best to please his mother, but he often ended up looking austere. He chose a pair of fitted black breeches, which he tucked into shined leather boots that went all the way up to his knee. He slid on a black shirt stitched through with red thread, tucking it in and pulling on a black jacket that was structured and almost looked like armor. It was also threaded through with red, though it was so faint one would have to be close to him to see it. A red lined, black cape was thrown artfully over his shoulder and pinned with shining, obsidian jeweled clasps, so black they hardly sparkled. Lastly, he pulled on a pair of black, leather gloves - more to hide the bruising on his knuckles than anything. His hair, often left to it's own devices, was seen to by an insistent attendant who saw him leave his chamber.

Curled away from his brow and shining now that the dust had been cleaned from it, she placed his geometric and somewhat thorny crown atop the dark wave of his hair. He looked at himself without emotion, but the older woman leaned in with her hands on her shoulders and whispered kindly in his ear: "Very handsome, m'lord,"

Ben choked back a scoff.

"Thank you, Nettle," They all had strange names, but hers he remembered. She had been around since he was a young boy.

He stood up, his cape swinging out behind him. He straightened his jacket and wished that he could take the stupid crown off, but it would have to remain for the evening. He moved out into the hallway on his own. The back of the Palace was empty - all of the revelers would be kept to the front. It was, after all, his mother's birthday. He found his way to the large, grandiose room that would host the party, decorated in much the same fashion as his bedroom. His mother preferred more color, but the dance floor shined like cloudy gray mirror glass, and in it, you could see the low yellow light of the flickering candles.

He stood straight, and once he made an appearance, he was introduced to the room as if they didn't all know who he was. He arrived before his mother, who in her later years had gotten longer at preparing for these events. She was perhaps comforted when he made an entrance first. The crowd parted for him, like the Red Sea, and he made his way down it without really looking at anyone, used to the crowing and the bowing. He swung his cape out when he turned, gathering it up and taking his seat next to his mothers more decorated "throne".

He was already bored.

There were those who came up and gave their favor, those he could barely glance at and often dismissed with an abrupt and impatient word. Some he just waved away without speaking to at all. Once, a giggling girl was pushed out of the crowd, falling in front of him in a way that forced her to cling to his boot. He unhooked his leg from the crossed position it was in and used it to push her away, forcing her to fall back into the arms of the crowd. She looked perplexed, her cheeks reddening as she disappeared again.

His mother had seen it, as she'd crept in without being announced, as she often did.

"You ought to be kinder," She scolded in her wizened tones, taking her seat beside him. There was a hush that went across the room when they all realized she was there, but she merely gave a diplomatic wave of her glittering hand and the dancing continued on eventually.

"I am not here to be kind to them," He said, his tones authoritative and clipped.

"You may regret feeling that way some day," She said, leveling her gaze at her son who was now much, much taller than she was. She still had the power to make him feel like a scolded boy, but instead of rolling his eyes and ignoring her, he took her hand and brushed his lips atop her chilly knuckles.

"Happy birthday, mother,"

"Thank you, Ben," She said, lowering her head in a slow nod. Her silver hair was swept up into braids, and her face was ever the placid mask of the beloved queen. Her had not seen her get truly angry in many years.

He was distracted from examining his mother, who left her hand rested within his. He was distracted by the announcement of his uncle, who always liked to make a good entrance. He kept a beard these days, hiding what was once a boyish face. He had gone gray, just like his mother. He wore dark robes, a slate blue in color. Ben's attention, however, was not drawn by the choice of his uncles garb. No, it was drawn by the girl who walked a few paces behind him, her delicate hands held in front of her politely.

Her brown eyes were lined with a dark, shimmering coal, expertly applied and giving her a sort of dangerous look. Her hair, cropped somewhat short for what was currently in fashion, shined under the yellow of the lights, and was pulled back in a half tail, braided intricately. On her lips, was the color of dark, crushed berries. Ben found himself wondering if they were really the result of berries, and what they might taste like - but quickly pushed the thought from his head. Her garb was structured, like his -

a red leather corset strapped around her slender middle, showing off bare shoulders - glittering gauntlets placed at her wrists. She wore leather pants, hidden underneath a skirt that had been cut many ways and revealed her legs and boots. He leaned forward, visibly - so much so that it caused the room to pause to get a look at him. He schooled his face and resumed his lazy position. He was sure he had never seen her before. He did not know her.

And yet, something about her was so familiar.

* * *

(AU AU AU ALERT! Hope you enjoyed this, it was inspired by a particularly cool edit I saw on tumblr. I took some liberties with names/characters, but it's AU so you'll forgive me, right? right? heh

Feedback/comments are always appreciated. Share if you like!)


	2. Chapter 2

His uncle stopped in front of the raised dais. He looked pleased to have gotten a leg up on his prince, and for having surprised him. Ben could only imagine why he'd brought her there, but he thought it might have something to do with the tournament that was being held next week. Leia acted as if she hadn't noticed what had passed when the girl had entered the room. Ben took a moment to examine the red jewels strung around her neck, glistening like pomegranate seeds that had just been torn free of the fruit. He wondered if Luke had chosen them.

Luke gave a low bow, his slate colored robes brushing the highly shined floor. As he rose, he took her hand and drew her around him in a wide arc, before he drew her forward and presented her as if she was some sort of fine gift. Ben did his best to not look surprised. It was a surprising choice, for his uncle. A young woman, and especially this young woman. Ben knew she came from no royal bloodline, he knew it just by looking at her hands that she was trying so hard to hide against her slender stomach. They were calloused. She had probably been working since she was a young girl.

"My queen," He gave a bow towards Leia, and she responded with one of her own. His flinty, strange eyes settled on Ben. "My prince," Ben gave a nod of his head in return. "Allow me to introduce Rey. She's to be my champion,"

"Only Rey? No last name?" Ben asked, his amber doused eyes sliding in her direction.

"I am an orphan," She said, earnestly. Her declaration almost surprised him."And I have no title of note," Which meant that she had no last name of note. There was a prideful quality in her tone, and when she lifted her eyes to him he saw the dislike that burned there. Finally, she dipped her head in some sort of show of apology, and Ben laughed.

"Uncle Luke, I did not know you had a fondness for bringing in strays," He looked very pointedly at her.

Luke's eyes flashed, revealing that he was not at all the fumbling old man he played at being. Even now, Ben knew little of him, and his subtle looks were hard to decipher.

"Though she may be a stray, she is formidable,"

Ben lifted his dark eyebrow, looking at his uncle curiously.

Finally, Leia spoke.

"Well, go on, tell us why,"

"Well, I think you'll be impressed with her, my queen,"

Ben knew that Luke was a master of deflection. Why was it important to him, when tournaments had never seemed to be his amusement before? Ben found it odd that he should show such an interest now, an interest that lead him as far as choosing a champion. He hoped he didn't have the mad idea that this girl would be the head of his new Sentinels. Luke had scolded him often on the fact that his 'guard' was more loyal to his mother than they were to him. He was to need his own guard, eventually. Ben shifted in his chair, crossing his ankles together in a position that would have once bothered his mother. She hardly seemed to notice now, her eyes on the glittering young woman in front of her.

"I hope she knows what she's gotten herself into," Leia said, though at that point the conversation seemed to be over. His mother was generally uninterested in whatever Luke seemed to be up to, but Ben could not believe it was because she thought him to be harmless. They had once been quite a formidable pair, themselves.

Ben kept his eyes on the girl. He watched her move like water across stones against the flow of the crowd. No one seemed to notice her, it was as if she never touched anyone at all - which was nearly impossible in this crowded room. She was composed, and had the gait of someone who was not made nervous by this type of affair. It made him wonder how many she had seen in her time. Ben tried not to let her disappear, but his attention was drawn by the weight of his mother's hand on his shoulder. She turned to look at him.

"I grow tired of this," She admitted. "Cut the cake for me?"

Ben nodded his head, standing before she would to help her from her chair. He helped her out of the room, and she left him at the door, telling him quietly that someone needed to remain, at least for an hour or so. He worried for her, her presence became less and less as she grew older. She found the whole thing to be tiring, it seemed. Not that he could blame her, he found it tiring as well. He watched her small frame move into the dark before disappearing. His father hardly ever made an appearance, and that night proved to be of little exception.

Once she had gone, Ben spotted his uncle with a gaggle of his cronies off in a dark corner of the room. They were men who talked philosophy and conspiracy with him. Ben had never found any of them to be comfortable in his presence, nor he in theirs. He made his way through the tangle of the crowd, trying to skirt the edges of the dancers to get a word with his "beloved" Uncle Luke. Ben caught his uncle's arm and tugged him away from his circle, where he might have been in the middle of climbing up onto his soapbox. Luke was irritated by having been pulled away, and took a pouting sip of his favored apple crisp wine.

"I would know what it is you think you're doing," Ben said, more of a statement that he expected to met with explanation rather than a question.

"This is a party, Ben. I'm sure your mother raised you with better manners than this," He said, spilling some of his wine on the floor. "Can't we talk about this tomorrow?" Another slosh, and another sip of wine. "Why don't you go ask the girl to dance, and see if you can find it out for yourself...for once," He muttered, before turning back to his circle of friends, who welcomed him back with a good deal of shouting.

Ben didn't want to ask her to dance. He wanted to ask her a question and demand she answer it, but he knew that in this setting it might not be the best way to go. At least not now, with so many eyes on him. He thought he might be able to draw some sort of hint out of her, as he was automatically wary of what his uncle was up to. If she was truly Luke's creature, she would be hard to crack. He found she was hard to find, each time he thought he spied her out of the corner of his eye, she seemed to dissolve. Maybe he was seeing things. When he was about to give up, he turned to find her standing - resolutely - at the refreshments table. She seemed to find the small, finger sized food rather interesting, but she did not take any of it for herself. Ben found it familiar, considering he never touched anything at parties such as this one.

He found himself weaving through the crowd again, moving as quickly as possible so as not to lose her again. He realized that she might have been avoiding him on purpose, and was only allowing herself to be seen now. Ben had all of the tact of an angry bull, and he realized he was probably easy to spot and avoid. He was being obvious in pursuing her, but he had a curious itch he could not scratch unless she tried to speak with her.

"Lady," He stopped in front of her, finding that there was nothing even remotely pleased about his presence in her eyes. He offered his gloved hand. "Will you dance?"

She examined his hand as if he'd just attempted to hand her a smelly, rabid rathound. He wondered if she would outright decline him, and the longer she made him wait for a reply, the more stormy his expression became. Finally, after what seemed like a good deal of thought on her part, she slid her hand into his. Even though it was smaller, her grip betrayed a deceptive amount of strength. They moved out onto the dance floor. There was utter silence. No one had ever seen Ben dance before, or at least if they had, it was rare.

He swung her out much like Luke had, in a wide semi-circle. They came to stand in front of one another. She placed a hand at his shoulder first, and then he placed a hand at the small of her waist. She was warm. She rested her hand atop his outstretched arm, and once the music began, they began to move in the practiced steps of the court. Of course, he had been taught to dance - but so had she. They moved together effortlessly, her steps almost eerily silent.

"Tell me what you hope to gain by entering the tournament," He said, without any sort of tact, and without any sort of kindness in his voice.

"To earn your favor, my Prince," She demurred. She might have been coy, if she weren't so sarcastic.

"I'm sure you have a much better reason than that," He scoffed. "Especially if you are truly my uncle's creature,"

"Why, can't a low born orphan earn your favor?"

"In battle?" He laughed, unable to hide his true feelings about the subject.

She stepped on his foot, causing him to expel an astonished sound. It hadn't hurt as much as it had been surprising. Ben clenched his jaw.

"I'm sorry, my Prince," She purred out. "I can be so clumsy,"

Ben saw now that this was the game that they were playing, and he tightened his grip on her, doing his best to bruise her beneath the leather she wore. She released a short gasp, much like his own.

"I want to know who you are," He leaned into her, gritting the words out with fury, his breath rustling the hair around her ear.

He could almost see the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as the warmth of his breath washed over the crux of the skin. Anyone who looked at them might think they were paramours, but both of them knew better. She had placed her hand on his side, quickly. She reeled back, driving the flat of her knuckles into his wounded side. He groaned, crumpling like a doll. How had she known? It seemed they were done playing games. He fell down to his knees, grasping his side, and she did her best to throw him off. He tried to catch his breath, the shock of pain entirely unexpected.

"You're not asking the right questions, Prince," She sneered out, taking a metered breath. Her fist flexed at her side. "And I can smell blood in the water,"

Ben ended the night in the infirmary with an upset nurse who told him that he was silly for allowing his stitches to be torn, and silly for not coming in immediately. There was the painful process of having it cleaned and re-stitched, both of which Ben thought the nurse did with extra vigor just to make a point to him. He had been a thorn in their side ever since he had gotten better, and he had gotten into fighting. He came in with wounds more often than the normal person, and he didn't seem to care about the consequences of such wounds.

Ben snuck out when the night was at it's darkest, realizing the sun would rise in only a couple of hours. He wandered through the corridors, finding that embers of the party still glowed orange, as there were people too drunk to get home, and people still trying the lazy dance of the dead. He did not expect her to still be there, but he scanned the skeleton crowd anyway. No sign of her, no sign of Rey. He was thankful to go unnoticed and managed to make it back to his chamber without incident, the pain in his side ebbing away despite the stink of the medicinal salve the nurse had wiped on the wound. She had tried to give him opite-wine, made for sleeping, but he spit it out as soon as she turned her back on him. However, the brief contact with it had made him a little drowsy.

He face planted into his bed and fell immediately to sleep.

It didn't last long. Ben had been blessed with insomnia since he'd been poisoned, and the noise of the Palace waking up around him didn't allow him to sleep into the morning like he'd planned. When he moved from his position, he found his side had begun aching with renewed fervor. He felt feverish, but he ignored it, deciding instead to tug himself up and do his best to get dressed.

* * *

The week went by in a blur. There would be no way that he could avoid Snoke's battering, but after word spread that Luke's "champion" had punched him and he'd crumpled, Snoke had avoided going after the wound again. Ben supposed it was because twice was enough, even for him. He managed to punish Ben in other ways though, as he always did. Ben felt more focused than he had been in years, though, and one particularly rage filled session ended with Snoke on his back, in the dust. He coughed and laughed it off, but even he couldn't bring himself to give Ben a compliment. Instead, the Prince was harangued for having let his anger take over the fight.

At least it had been effective.

The next day, Snoke told him that there would be no lessons - only rest before the big tournament. Ben would never have said it to him, but he knew, for once, he had won.

Ben was expected to fight on the day of the tournament, but he knew it would be much like it had been before. No one would really ever fight him, and he would be forced to fight out a few rounds before growing bored with winning and joining his mother in her box. That tournament had another purpose, however, thrown for the benefit of Ben trying to choose new members of his guard.

He expected to see Rey, but he did not expect that he would be matched up with her after the first few matches that he had won. He was surprised to see her, covered in dust and clad in the garb of a warrior. He had to believe that Luke had bought it for her. She was covered in dust, and even though she was dressed like a warrior, it looked as though no one had been able to land a hit on her. Ben wasn't intimidated. She wore lightweight leather armor, revealing her shapely arms that were tanned to a nut brown. In her hand she held a short blade, sharp and obviously meant to do a good deal of damage. Ben preferred longer swords, but he was reminded, briefly, of Wildflower. Would she be too fast for him?

The match started off well enough. It was a bit like the dance they had shared a few nights prior, however. Ben did his best not to underestimate her, even though she appeared to be teasing him. She took a few checks with grace, but eventually it became obvious that even though they were well matched, she might have been his better. She checked him back, slashing his light weight armor and nearly drawing blood. Ben found it hard to keep his head, the more she bested him, the angrier he got. He returned the favor, slashing her right down the middle of her armor, exposing just a bit of bloody flesh beneath her breasts. The victory was short lived.

Perhaps the angrier she got, the better she was. She moved like a well trained assassin when challenged, and Ben found his feet swept out from underneath him and his back connecting with the dirt, knocking the air out of him. Before he was able to regain his footing, she was on top of him, straddling him with her thighs and pressing the sharp point of her blade against his Adam's apple. She looked please with herself, and his eyes flashed with a dark puddle of anger.

"Do you yield?" She asked, breathlessly.

"Never," He muttered, feeling the point of her blade dig deeper into his throat. She drew blood, and if the referee had not stopped them, she might have had her way and killed him - right there in the dust.

She lifted herself off of him, though if she was expecting cheers, she was met with a confused silence. No one had ever bested the Prince before. Perhaps he had gotten lazy. The embarrassment would have normally enraged him, no matter how much it shamed him that no one truly wanted to fight him - but he found himself intrigued by the fact that she had been unafraid to do so.

* * *

Rey worked her way up through the matches throughout the entire week tourney. She even bested Finn, who had yet to have been bested by anyone, including Ben. He spent the rest of the week by his mother's side with a resting face that suggested it was better he not be spoken to. He hated to admit it, Luke had been right. They were both impressed with her. Ben knew she had no more respect for him than Finn did, but he thought he might be able to pay her enough to at least keep her loyalty for a time. Obviously, Luke had more of a sway with her than anyone else, which concerned him, but he had to think that his uncle was offering her something of value. Maybe he could offer something of more value.

His mother seemed to agree with the decision, though she had not seen the way that Rey had looked at him the night of the dance. If she had, she might have changed her mind. However, when the tournament ended, Ben had decided that he would present the offer to her. Maybe they would all be spared from her horrible wrath and she would decline, but Ben had to guess that keeping one's enemies close was the best path to take.

After the tourney was over, and Finn was a beaten mess, he found her in the training pit, still fighting. Her weapon of choice had changed, and she had exchanged the medium sized blade for a small, excessively sharp dagger. He shuddered to think of the damage she might have done with such a small, brutal weapon. She moved with a silent, deadly quickness, and Ben was sure he had seen it before. His memories were foggy, and they covered themselves up. He watched her as she darted out, stabbing the straw filled dummy with ease before she realized she was being watched. She paused, turning to look at him.

"I wondered when you'd show up," She said, dropping the blade into the dirt and turning to look at him.

"Arrogance doesn't suit you," He said, darkly.

"What do you want?" She asked, taking a deep breath before dipping her hand into a heavy brass bowl filled with water, pulling it to her mouth and drinking heavily.

"I want to make you an offer,"

"Oh really?" She smirked, pleased with herself.

"I want you to be the head of my guard,"

"And usurp that surly man from the Isles? Never," She laughed.

"I will pay you, and I'll allow you to bring in whatever knights you chose," He hated to admit it, but he was bargaining for her services. He was bargaining for her.

"Why? You have a perfectly good guard. And I'm fairly sure that you didn't believe I would ever win your favor in battle," She seethed out.

"I will pay you a good deal," He finally said, in place of an apology he really did not want to give.

"And if I say yes? What else?"

Ben wracked his brain. What would appeal to her? She didn't leave him hanging for too long.

"I want my own wing," She finally said. "I want to be able to bring in my own guard, under your banner of course," She admitted. "You will pay me, and you will guarantee me a permanent place at the palace," She paused. "And I want to train you,"

He scoffed.

"If you aren't willing to meet these requirements, I am sure there are lots of lords and ladies out there who would take me on for much more,"

"Fine," He couldn't stand how smug she was, and he couldn't stand the fact that he was begging her.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked.

"I think you already know the answer to that question,"

"Yes. What makes you think I'll be any more loyal to you?"

"Money," He said, before turning the tide of the conversation. "You'll start tomorrow. They'll have to fit you for suitable clothing. You should tell my uncle. I'm sure he'll be pleased,"

"I'm sure he will," She took another mouthful of water before returning to her exercise, never seeming to tire.

* * *

The very next day, Luke found him.

"I'm proud of you. It seems as if you've made the first good decision of your life,"

"She is no more loyal to me than she is to my mother," He said, looking blankly at his uncle.

"That may be true," He admitted. "But I think you have a good chance of earning her respect,"

Ben was in the middle of saddling his great black mount for a ride. He tightened a strap on the saddle, ignoring his uncle.

"Why are you doing this?" He finally asked.

"She is more skilled than anyone I have ever seen, and you need your own guard. Regardless of how it starts, it only matters how it ends," He said, as if it made any sense at all. "The guard you have now pities you. They stay with you because of your mother. Once she dies, I am not sure you will be so lucky,"

Ben flinched. He didn't like to hear about his mother dying, no matter how much of a reality it might have been right then.

"And what do you get out of this?"

"The pleasure of knowing my nephew is well protected,"

It was difficult to tell when Luke was lying, but Ben found at that moment that he was pretty sure he was.

They weren't able to continue on with the conversation, as Rey soon made herself apparent. She'd spent the morning being fitted, and for the time being it looked as though she had borrowed the best fitting set of riding clothes she could. They had not revealed the news yet, that she was to be taking over, but the time would come. For now, news had reached Ben that there were small villages being burned and ransacked at the edges of his land, which meant that he would be responsible for riding out in an attempt to survey the damage, and see if he could oust the rabble that was likely causing the destruction.

Mostly, his thought would have been to ignore it, but his mother would not have allowed it. He couldn't find himself to care the way she did about the smaller outposts, and found himself still on the line for being responsible for them. He turned again to glance at his new captain, finding her annoyingly chipper. Her hair had been cleaned and brushed back into a complicated chignon, with small red jewels pinned in here and there. The riding outfit she chose was a brilliant crimson dress with a structured bodice - though she had left behind the petticoats. He caught a glimpse of her highly shined riding boots and wondered if she'd borrowed the ensemble from one of the courtiers. It was functional enough that she would be able to ride.

"Is this to be how it is?" He asked, his deep tones splitting the silence. Both she and Luke looked at him. "She'll be following me everywhere I go?"

"Isn't it my job to see you're protected?" She asked, finishing with her saddle before swinging herself up into it with ease.

"I can well protect myself," Ben said.

"Oh, yes, well we've seen a good indication of that," She smirked, meanly, at him.

"Now children," Luke finally said. "Ben, stop sulking. I'm sure you'll appreciate having someone on your side, in time,"

Right, he thought. My side. He swung himself up into his saddle, cape catching the wind and moving out behind him. He hooked his feet in the saddle straps.

 _My side indeed._

* * *

The rain started early in the ride, forcing Rey to stop and pull out a cloak, wrapping it tightly around her head. Ben pulled the hood on his own, letting it drape around his face. Eventually though, they were both so soaked that it didn't much matter. The ride was to be a two day journey, and they had planned to stop halfway at an Inn that Ben had stayed at before - however the weather forced them to stop a good deal sooner in a small, muddy town that was made mostly of straw and cow-shit. There was an Inn, though Ben was always wary staying in places he hadn't stayed before - especially if they recognized him.

"I don't think we should stay here," He admitted as they lead their muddy horses to the small stable.

"Well, we can't continue in this weather," She admitted, glancing towards the sky. Ben watched a slippery strand of her hair cling to her cheek and had an urge to reach out and brush it away from her berry stained lips.

"We can camp,"

"If we camp, one of us will end up with up with some sort of illness and perhaps die," She muttered. "Stand behind me, and keep your hood up,"

Ben did as he was told, despite wanting to argue with her for the sake of arguing with her. He followed her into the Inn, watching her shed her wet cloak. She settled her gaze on what they both assumed was the inn keep, who was busy beginning his evening rotting out his insides with a good deal of vinegary penny wine. He looked at them both, dripping travelers in finery and said "no vacancies" so quickly that Ben was surprised at it.

Rey turned coy, leaning forward onto the counter to give the keeper full view of her low cut dress. Ben almost rolled his eyes, but if he had tried such a thing he definitely would have been camping. He could see the man's attitude shifting at the thought of getting underneath the skirt of such a fine lady. Rey would kill him first before he even got that far, of course - but what mattered was securing a room.

"Oh, I'm sure you have an open room for us? We have plenty of coin," She purred out, and Ben, keeping his face low, flashed the purse hidden in the depths of his black cloak.

"All filled up, ma'am," He said, the red from the wine having caused his nose to be red and bulbous.

"Even your best room? Really, coin is no issue," Rey pulled forward, causing her breasts to push forward.

"Well, I might have som'tin," He admitted. "But it'll cost ye',"

"Great," She signed, leaning back from the counter. "How much?" She blew her hair out of her face. The motion of it caused his throat to clench up in sudden reminiscence. He ignored it.

"One silva' per night," He grumbled, pulling away his gaze from her to finally land on him. "Ye'll have to share,"

Ben sighed, pulling out the money and putting it on the farthest point of the counter so that the toad-like man would have to reach for it.

"Thank you," Rey murmured out; breathy.

The inn keeper got up, grabbed an old brass key, and showed them the way. While he waddled out in front of them, he explained that they could order food from the cook at any time, though he warned that he tended to be rather drunk after a certain time. When the room was opened, it was certainly nothing special, but Ben thought he might charge a silver for the fire place. Ben was glad to see it, and glad to see the small bundle of wood set beside it. There was one bed, and he realized he would likely be sleeping on the straw floor. Once the door was shut behind him, Ben drew his hood back, dark hair still dripping onto his shoulders.

"What a fine display of your talents," He said, blandly.

"It got us a room, didn't it? I'll go downstairs and get some food, so that they don't recognize you," She said. "Can you start a fire, boy Prince?"

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about," He said, matching her sarcasm. He pulled his cloak off and hung it aside, hoping the fire would dry it out before the next day. He set to work starting the fire, hearing the door click shut behind him as she went down to see what she might scrounge up for food.

"Great," He muttered to himself, watching as the flint struck with a spark big enough and began burning the wood, filling the room with the smokey smell of sage-tree.

* * *

DOST THOU ENJOY THIS AU? send me feedback/comments! share if you like it!

heueheuehe


	3. Chapter 3

Ben was glad for the warmth of a roaring fire, and decided to try and get out of his wet clothing before Rey returned. He unhooked his leather fare and swung it aside, wondering if it would be ruined by the moisture. It didn't matter, he had a million of them. He un-tucked his shirt, lifting it over his head by way of reaching to lift it away from his upper half from his neck. He moved one of the heavy, dusty chairs to sling his shirt over it in front of the fire, hoping it might dry. He found he was too late, reaching for something that might be more dry just as he heard the door unlatch.

He must've been pale in the low light of the room, though he was quite lean. He knew she would have seen the scarring on his back - lashes from tutors and then later, Snoke. They were all healed, silvery scars that made a strange tapestry of his skin. His breeches dipped low on his hips, so he quickly slid into his dry shirt before Rey cleared her throat and turned away. She didn't exactly look embarrassed, though she did mutter out an apology. She had brought with her the usual fare, hard, dark bread and cheese that the mold would have to be scraped off of. Ben had no intention of eating, or drinking, anything she brought. When she offered it up to him, he crossed his arms over his broad chest, the untucked and undone linen gaping at his chest.

"I am not hungry," He admitted. "Help yourself,"

He grasped one of the rough spun blankets and draped it over his shoulders, moving towards the door. She looked at him, confused. Perhaps he was reading into things unnecessarily, but he could have sworn he saw something in her eyes that was more than just confusion. Frustration, maybe?

"Where are you going?"

"I thought you might like to change, Lady," He said, with as much politeness as he could manage. "You're soaked, after all,"

"You don't have to leave for that," She admitted, beginning the process of undoing her gown. "I might need your help," She had the same look in her eye that night she'd driven her fist into his wound. He knew he was better off not following whatever train of action she intended to put forth. He knew, also, that she didn't mean it to be flirtatious. It seemed as if she was trying to get a reaction from him.

"Just knock when you're finished," He muttered, doing his best not to roll his eyes before stepping out into the hallway. Finally, he heard a small knock.

He re-entered the room, finding her draped in nothing but a blanket and her near see through skivvies, dress slung across the chair in front of the fire. She had let down her hair, which curled artfully at the nape of her neck and curling at the tops of her shoulders.

It was going to be a long night.

BREAK

He found her eating an apple, which made him a bit more comfortable that she hadn't poisoned anything. He couldn't imagine what the point of his uncle bringing her into the tournament would be if she intended to kill him right away, but the idea had crossed his mind a couple of times. She obviously wasn't there for the reason that she'd claimed. Perhaps she believed she had him fooled, but Ben intended to keep his guard up, even if he found her utterly distracting. She obviously found him utterly repulsive...which might make the situation a bit easier.

He pulled another chair to the fire, taking a moment to remove his muddy boots. There they remained, both partially unclad - the only noise filling the room was that of her crunching on an apple and the crackle of the fire. She had chosen one of the golden apples, which were known for staining your lips with a gold sort of shimmer. He noted it before his eyes turned back to the fire. It might have been romantic, if the thought of being so vulnerable to another didn't send his skin crawling.

"You can relax," She finally said. "I'm not planning on killing you,"

"Oh, well I'm sure I should take you at your word,"

"Your uncle told me you have a fear of poison," She said. "I swear to you there's no poison in any of this food as far as I'm aware...unless you've done something to upset the innkeep. You should eat something,"

"What else has he told you?"

"Nothing, really," She plucked a bit of bread up, eating it. "I only know what I've heard,"

"Which is?"

"You've almost died a couple of times. People call you the Poisoned Prince. They think you're cruel, and the Kingdom is divided on whether or not you should rule,"

It was all fairly common information, so he was forced to believe her, though he was sure Luke had likely told her much more.

"What do you think?"

"It doesn't matter to me," She laughed, taking another bite of food. "As long as I continue to get paid,"

"How kind," He muttered, though he hadn't been expecting anything more.

She didn't reply, but he heard her movements. He was surprised when she came to stand in front of him, an apple in hand. He opened his mouth to say something, to protest, but she pushed it right into his mouth. It wasn't exactly forceful, but Ben found himself sinking his teeth into the skin of the fruit - felt the golden-hued juice running down his chin. Annoyed, he took it from her hand and licked his lips. She only laughed, as if his malaise was the most entertaining thing she might think of.

"You have no manners," He growled, tossing the fruit angrily into the fire. He felt the remnants of the sticky juice on his lips, and watched the skin of the fruit as it burned away into ash.

"I only wanted to prove to you that you have nothing to fear," She said, suddenly coy.

"Stop this," He said, standing up from his chair. "You are like a fox who speaks in riddles. It's going to be a very long night if you can't learn to leave me be,"

"I am sorry," She said, and the tone in her voice indicated that she might actually mean it. It surprised him so much that he turned to look at her, the surprise obvious on his face. "Let's try to start over," She said, taking the chair next to his. She motioned that he should sit back down.

"There's no reason to do that," He said, grasping his cloak. Perhaps it was foolish, but he realized it was simply insane to try and spend the night here, with her. "You are obviously a mercenary girl," He said, pulling his hood up. It hadn't dried, but he suddenly didn't care. "You're here for the money, and whatever else my uncle has talked you into - and I will find out what that is. There's no need for us to pretend that we have any sort of kinship," He stopped to pull his boots back on.

He didn't bother looking at her face.

The night was going to be a sleepless one. Ben had gone down to sit at the bar and mope. Mostly the patrons avoided him, until one got drunk and decided he did not like Ben's attitude. Who came to a tavern and didn't drink? Who came to a tavern and didn't mingle with his other tavern-goers? Ben found that he didn't like the mans' attitude himself, when the drunken idiot came up and tried to start a fight, Ben kneed him so hard in his shin that it forced the man to buckle and spill his drink all over the straw floor. Ben wanted to fight, and when he drew his blade it was the whole bar that intended to fight him back. The shouting and the general chaos must've woken Rey, because she called down at him from the top of the stairs before he got to spill any blood.

She came out, still barely dressed, causing everyone to follow her light-footed movements with interest.

"I'm sorry, my husband has a temper," She firmly grasped his arm, glancing at him with hardened eyes. "Don't you?"

In the moment she'd given him to rethink the situation he was in, he realized he should not be wholesale massacring the entire tavern. He realized that a few of them had now recognized him, muttering among themselves that he was the prince. He felt her grip on him tighten. She was ready to fight him if necessary, even if it just meant disarming him. He wondered if this was part of Luke's plan, to keep her by his side so that she would keep him out of these little tiffs. Perhaps he meant to improve his reputation. Ben sheathed his blade, the tension draining out of him, though he felt as if she'd stolen an outlet of frustration from him. He hadn't even realized she'd called him her husband, and he wondered how long it would take that rumor to spread.

He allowed her to pull him along, back upstairs.

"Well, I won't ask what you were thinking,"

"I wasn't," He admitted, closing the door and locking it behind them.

She looked concerned. Ben didn't buy it.

"Go back to sleep,"

"No," She said, forcefully.

Ben was used to being heeded, and the fury he'd felt rising downstairs flowed up into his throat like vomit.

"I am still your Prince," He spat. "You will do what I say,"

"Shut up, Ben," She finally muttered. "I know neither of us care for one another, but you hired me," She said, taking the seat next to him after wrapping the blanket tightly around herself. "Let's try not to kill one another,"

No one had ever told him to shut up. He found himself so shocked he was unable to respond, so he merely sulked by the fire. It was warm, and he slung his damp cloak off so that he could dry off. He caught her looking at him, though he couldn't say what it was she was looking at.

"Who lashed you?" She finally asked, after a few long moments of silence.

"It's not any of your concern," He said, sharply, in response.

"Ben," She said, calmly.

"Tutors, when I was unkempt. And later, Snoke, when I had the misfortune of breathing air around him," He paused."And here," He lifted his shirt to reveal the bandaged and bruised area of skin where she'd hit him, "Is where you drove your fist into me just a few nights ago,"

"You deserved it," She said simply. She stood up, pouring them each a glass of the fruit wine. She tried to hand him a goblet.

"No," He muttered.

"Fine," She set it aside, taking a sip of her own. It wasn't muckberry, that was for certain.

"What about you?" He finally asked, turning his gaze to her. "How did you end up with uncle Luke?" He tossed a bit of something into the now smoldering fire.

She didn't answer, and they sat there in uncomfortable silence until both of them fell asleep, bodies folded awkwardly in the chairs.

* * *

Rey woke him up shortly before sunrise. The rain had stopped, and they both thought it was a good idea to get out of there before the town began waking up and hearing of what had happened. He had no doubt that news of it would somehow find it's way back to the palace. His mother would find even more reason to be impressed with Rey, considering she had managed to temper him. They dressed, some of their clothing still marginally damp, some of it crunchy from being dried in front of the fire. He swung his cloak on and left the room, allowing her to dress in private. Thankfully, the inn-keep was passed out at the bar when Ben went downstairs, and he was able to slip out into the chilly morning to deal with the horses. He could see his own breath, and he wrapped his cloak tightly around him to bring both of the beasts out front.

By the time she made an appearance, he had swung himself into his saddle. She had found something else to wear, and by the time Ben realized that she had borrowed one of his shirts, it was too late to bother with asking why. It was almost a dress on her, and she had belted it with a thick leather belt. The linen fell over the top of her leather clad thighs. They didn't have much time, they were already set back by the rain, and he knew they should try to get as far as possible before it started again.

They rode hard for a good half of the day, before they were forced to stop and take a break. He dug food from his pack, so hungry that he had to trust it, even though it was possible she could have done something to it overnight. He crunched into the hard bread and chewed a few pieces of dried fruit, though he didn't bother to offer her any. It looked as if she had stolen some of the food from the Inn, in any case. Ben was careful not to turn his back on her, and when they stopped again to drink from a spring and refill their canteens, he stood at her back to watch her bow down to fill her own.

He pulled out an apple, and he was leaned up against a nearby tree as he worked on it. He watched her pass him, before speaking to her. It was odd, considering they had not exchanged words since the night before.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you that it isn't polite to steal?" He glanced at her shirt.

"I wasn't stealing, I was borrowing,"

"It's common to ask before borrowing," He said, taking another bite of the apple.

"Would you have agreed?"

"No," He said, simply.

"Well then, it's unrequested borrowing," Ben was beginning to realize that she was good at slant.

They continued to ride after their break, though they would have to ride into the evening to make it to their destination. Their destination came upon them more quickly than they might have been expecting, considering that Ben began to smell burning wood, and hay, and something else. He had smelled burning flesh before, but he certainly hadn't been expecting it this time around. He had not heard that people had been dying, somehow, he had been under the impression that these people had mostly lived, though they had been forced into the outlying villages. However, it became obvious that that wasn't the case very quickly.

They were stone silent as they finally rode into view of the first village. There were burnt bodies, burnt to a crisp, and even Ben could not imagine he possessed the type of cruelty that would allow him to do such a thing to children - as they had not escaped their fates. It became clear that whoever had done this had not been a simple bandit, or another village - especially when they both came upon a banner, standing solitary in the middle of the rubble. It was one Ben had never seen. Usually he could recognize them easily, but this one had an icon he wasn't familiar with. It was the silhouette of a raven being speared by an arrow. He glanced to Rey, who's face was an undecipherable mask. He could not tell if she'd seen it before, or not - or if she was merely shocked by the destruction.

Ben hopped down from his mount, his boots sounding heavily in the mud - a thunk making itself obvious. Rey stayed saddled, for the moment. He caught the banner, which was a moss green, and he tore it down. He crumpled the fabric, obviously intending to take it with him when he shoved it into his saddle bag. He glanced up at Rey, who stayed firm atop her own cinnamon colored mount.

"Does this look familiar to you?" He asked, almost venomously.

"No," She responded, evenly.

"Have you seen this banner before?"

"No," This time, she hesitated just a bit. Ben wouldn't forget it.

* * *

The theme continued, and even though there had only been one banner, Ben was convinced that whoever was responsible for each village had been connected to the banner that now sat in his saddle bag. He had forgotten about Rey, he had forgotten about Luke - he was thoroughly focused on who would do such a thing, and why. Rey didn't really try to interrupt his reverie until it became obvious that he intended to ride all night back home. She obviously didn't intend on doing such a stupid thing, and she moved her horse out in front of him in an attempt to try and break him from his reverie.

"Let's camp here,"

Ben stopped. The rain had stopped, and it was dark. Riding through these woods at night might be idiotic, and it was probably safer to camp. They found a rather even spot of ground that would serve as a campsite. Ben began the process of trying to find dry wood so that they could have a fire, and once he had found a sufficient amount, he returned to the campsite. He had wanted to walk all night, simply to avoid any conversation that might crop up with Rey, but that was also idiotic.

He came out into the clearing, his boots falling heavily in the brush, enough to notify her that he was there. She had pulled out her cloak and found a spot in the dirt next to what would (hopefully) be the fire. Ben began to work his magic, striking flint before there was enough spark to light the wood, which burned, even though a good deal of it was slightly damp. He supposed it was dry enough to burn, and was thankful for the warmth. He was glad to put some distance between them, sitting across the fire so that he could avoid her, for the most part. She kept her eyes on the fire. Her hair had dried, and the make-up had been rinsed away. Even then, she was distracting. There was a determined bent of her mouth that Ben found he liked, and when his mind touched on it he promptly ignored it.

"What will your mother say?" She was the first to speak.

"I don't know," He said, pulling his knees up to his chest, rather like a boy. "She might know who the banner belongs to,"

Rey looked across the fire, and her mouth was set - teeth clenched. He could only wonder at why she looked so scared. Ben stood up, suddenly.

"I'll take first watch,"

He wanted an excuse, any excuse, to get away from her. He knew he had no reason to believe that she had had anything to do with it, but he couldn't stand another night of verbal sparring with her. He was beginning to regret his decision to hire her on - realizing it might not have been worth the emotional bruising that came with her mere presence. At least Finn never argued with him, despite the pure disdain they held for one another. Ben still had time to back out, but he realized he just didn't have the will to do so.

He didn't realize he had suddenly become a man of his word.

There were probably reasons for it - reasons he was trying not to focus on. The way she moved, the color of her eyes, when she was coy and when she was not. Somehow, even in that short period of time, she had gotten under his skin like a bamboo sliver. He kept to the outer trees, leaning up against the sturdy bark and taking the night in. He took a deep, cold breath, trying to steel himself. What was this he was feeling? It unsettled him more than anything he'd ever dealt with - but the chill of the air kept him sane.

The night sky was clearer than he had ever seen it. The two moons floated out, milky white, into the depth of blue. They never got too far from one another. Ben took in another deep breath of chilly air, exhaling and watching his breath fog out in front of him. It reminded him of when he was a child, when he would do it on purpose, just to see his breath. He tried to take inventory. Luke. Rey. The Banner. Surely there was a connection between the three of them? Ben bounced his head against the bark of the tree, his eyes wide open.

He was glad for the sunlight, when it finally came.

He stood up, finding her sleeping near the fire, which had burned down low. He watched her sleep, reaching out to brush a strand of hair that had stuck itself to her lips. He brushed her warm skin, but the shock of her warmth reminded him what he was doing. He quickly pulled his hand back and moved over to stoke the fire enough that it would be hot enough to make the herb tea that would help wake both of them up. It was the scent of it that likely woke her up, and she inhaled deeply as her eyes opened.

"Good morning," He murmured, though he wasn't sure he meant it.

"Tea?" She asked, watching him as he poured a the amber colored liquid into a mug. He handed it over to her before he poured a cup for himself.

He eyed the small bits and remnants of the herbs floating around in it before taking a long draw from the mug. He drank it down quickly, and tossed the dregs of it into the ground.

"We should get going," He said, suddenly all business.

"Don't tell your mother," She said, suddenly.

"About what?" He asked, beginning the process of putting the fire out and packing their belongings.

"About the banner," She took a drink of her tea before following his motions and tossing the dregs out. "Give me a week to try and find out who the banner belongs to before you tell her,"

"Why should I do that?"

"Just try to trust me, and give me the time," She sounded almost desperate.

"Fine," He said, finishing his process of snuffing out the fire. "Let's go,"

They returned in a flurry of activity. They were both thankfully sunburned by the time they got back, as the rain clouds had disappeared and they had been warmed and dried, thoroughly. There was staff to meet them, and even Uncle Luke made a show of being concerned at the extra day they had taken on the journey. Rey explained the weather - Ben didn't care to, thumping down off of his horse and allowing him to be drawn away by stable hands. He turned away from the whole spectacle after giving his mother a brusque kiss on her cheek, disappearing into the dark of the palace.

He had never been so tired.

His mind was in a muddle. He kept thinking of Rey's skin. He wanted to distract himself so badly that he might have been looking forward to Snoke's lesson. His mind also alighted on the banner, the mystery. Who did it belong to? Why had they made it so obvious? Whoever it had been had obviously wanted to make it known that they had been responsible for it. He realized he had forgotten it in his saddle bag, and hopped to his feet in an attempt to go retrieve it.

He was no spy, and ran into a few people on his way out to the stable. He had never been so good at being polite, so he wasn't, and eventually he found out where his saddle bags had been deposited. He began digging through them. He had dug through them twice before he realized the banner was gone.

How could he have been so stupid?

* * *

Despite trying not to, Ben found himself falling asleep early. He had locked his door, and barred the entrance that he knew entered out into a secret passageway. He had spent many hours as a boy, disappearing and scaring his mother. If he knew about it, it was likely someone else did. Something about that night felt different, he had the sort of terrible dreams that were so lucid he thought they might be real, but he could not force himself awake. His limbs were so heavy that each time he tried to rouse himself, he found he had only moved out into another branch of an odd and unsettling dream he was not likely to remember the next day.

Perhaps he had his utter exhaustion to blame for it, perhaps it was the still healing wound - but each time he dreamed, it was Rey who held the blade. It was Rey who held the poison. It was Rey who was the harbinger of his end. It was easy for him to think that he had been dreaming when he heard the thunk of his lock in the door. It was the telltale sound of someone having picked it.

He felt the weight on his middle, it caused pain in his wound, but he was so tired it took him a few moments to even realize that he was not dreaming. The sharp dose of pain he felt with the blade nicked his skin was enough to draw him out of his dream state. He thrashed, trying to fight the person who was currently atop him. They were wearing a mask, half of their face covered - the other shadowed by a hood. He was shirtless, and without a weapon, but he managed to scramble in the direction of his desk. He nearly knocked it over with his body weight - before he grabbed the closest thing he had to a blade - which was a letter opener.

The person who was attacking him was slight, but Ben couldn't tell if they were a male or a female. It didn't matter, they were trying to kill him. He saw the blade shifting dangerously in their hand, glinting in the deep light. It had a strange hue, which lead Ben to believe that they had likely poisoned it, if only to add insult to injury. His eyes must have been wild, but when the assassin lashed out at him, he fought them with everything he had. They were agile and fast, but Ben was desperate and wild, pushing out against fate like a caged animal.

He managed to get the better of his opponent, knocking them off their feet by using a nearby bottle, crashing it down into their skull. The assassin was trapped underneath him, and when he had hit them, there had been a very distinct groan - a very distinct female groan. He was so distracted by it that she had a chance to knee him, right in his crotch, sending him sprawling across the room in pain. She was on top of him, and he reached out with strong arms to try and stop her from digging her blade into his throat. The struggle continued on for what seemed a very long time, before he returned the favor and kneed her in the groin, causing her to let out another groan. It was definitely a woman.

He felt the hot blood from her head wound dripping down onto his face, staining his lips a crimson red. He tasted her salty, copper blood. It might have gone further, but Ben heard a shuffle in the hallway. It was probably a servant, who had heard the scuffle, and had come to check. Whoever it was, they seemed to spook the would-be assassin into lifting herself off of him. She kicked aside the chair he'd used to keep the secret passageway barred, disappearing into the dark. Ben knew where it went, so by the time he was up and trying to follow, he was able to duck into the silky dark and find his way out into the main area. There was no sign of whomever it was that had tried to kill him, and he was standing - barefooted and shirtless - in the hallway.

"Damn it," He muttered, slinking back into the passageway.

When he found his room, he saw that whomever it was had dropped their blade. He plucked it up, finding the odd sheen of the metal was unlike anything he'd ever seen. Maybe it would help him catch whomever it was who had tried to kill him.

He found he was bleeding, again.

It was becoming an unfortunate habit of his.

* * *

FAST UPDATE! I KNOW! BUT I'M JUST HAVING SO MUCH FUN!


	4. Chapter 4

Ben didn't tell anyone, because he didn't want his mother to know - but he was going to have to tell someone if he was to get any help with finding out who the owner of the blade was. He had spent the rest of his then sleepless night looking it over, though for the life of him he couldn't remember ever seeing such a blade. He wrapped it in thick canvas and hid it in a place where he was confident it wouldn't be found. He had also drawn the banner from memory, and stashed it along with the knife. If he was to end up dead, he could at least make sure his mother got a hold of the items somehow.

He was torn about whether or not he wanted to tell Rey. Today was the day that they were to hand down the news that she would be taking over his training and his guard. He wondered, for just a moment, how Snoke would take it. He doubted that Rey would be as brutal as Snoke was, but he couldn't imagine that the man would give up the job easily. Ben intended to turn him from the court completely, eventually, but for the time his father had agreed to continue paying him. Sometimes it was as if his father was indebted to Snoke in some way.

Ben dressed in deep, midnight blue. It was functional garb, and he often chose his boots over anything else that might have been in fashion then. He looked suitable enough, even though he could see the dark circles under his eyes when he spotted himself in the mirror before exiting his chamber. His mother would notice them, and likely say something about them.

Ben realized he had no one he could trust with the information that he'd nearly been assassinated in his chamber the night prior.

There was a 'war room' with a heavy oak table, but when the heavy doors were opened for him, he found that his mother had not joined them. Rey was already there, with her hair down; dark, shiny, and straight. She had gotten her own clothing, and Ben noticed the three tiered, hematite chain that now decorated the leather breast-plate she wore. It had been dyed a deep red, and she looked well in it. She had chosen breeches instead of a skirt, which might gather comments. She didn't seem to care. She gave him a brief nod before he came to stand at the head of the table. He kept his eye on her skull, trying to decipher if she had a head wound. He settled with himself that she did not. His greeting from his father was more than chilly, they simply looked at one another. It occurred to Ben that he hadn't seen him in months. He didn't look well.

Snoke stood beside him with a snarling smirk that seemed to indicate that he might already know what was about to happen. He occasionally sized Rey up, and Ben could almost hear his train of thought. _Still a boy, still making ridiculous decisions. How will this girl ever compare to me?_ It made him even more certain of what he was about to do. He would not miss Snoke's lashings; verbal or otherwise. Finn stood stalwart in the corner, a few of his best men behind him. They all carried the long, double bladed staffs of their homeland, each glinting dangerously even if they were colorfully decorated.

"Will the Queen be joining us?"

"No," His father was the first to respond. "She has taken ill this morning. She requested you visit her later on,"

"Fine," Ben said, dropping down into the tall, oaken chair that sat at the head of the table. Usually, it was his mother's place. His father looked angry that he had taken it. "I believe it's likely we all know why I've gathered you here today, but mayhaps not," He paused. "I might as well just come out and say it, Finn...I will be replacing you as Captain of my Guard. Of course, you can continue on underneath her. That also means that I will no longer be requiring your services in training, Snoke,"

He glanced at Rey, who kept her head high. Her lips were the color of crushed berries, again.

Snoke looked as if he'd once had a sweet treat from the fair and that someone had taken it from him. His face had the color and general appeal of mashed peas. His father looked unimpressed, and peeved. He wondered where Luke was, but he didn't expect his uncle to help him fight this battle. Luke was well aware of how Ben had been treated and was currently treated under Snoke's hand and had never before bothered to do anything about it. He felt relieved that he had finally told the man, but he knew it wasn't going to be that easy. Nor did the look on Snoke's face indicate that he was about to make it easy.

"M'lord," Finn said sharply in his deep tones. "If she will have us, we will remain with your guard,"

It surprised Ben. Rey only nodded, obviously in agreement. He couldn't imagine that Finn had any sort of ulterior motive, but he could see his mother demanding it of him. He wondered if he would ever really be free of her trying to look after him. Snoke finally stood up, so abruptly that his chair spun out behind him before completely upending itself. It was almost as if some unnatural force had driven it. Rey was the first to stand, and Ben shortly after. Everyone in the room remained completely still, unsure of what move the unstable mercenary was about to make next.

"You're not about to let him make this foolish decision," Snoke leered at his father, who leered right back.

"It is his decision to make,"

"I was brought into your employ to train the boy, what more can this insignificant girl do?"

"You will still be in my employ," Han said. "It will no longer require you provide these services. Ben isn't running you out of the palace," His father looked at him then. "Right, Ben?"

Ben wished that he could run him out of the palace, but if he was being honest with himself, he was too afraid to do so right then. He knew that Snoke would not leave easily, and he still feared what the man might do to him. There was likely to be bloodshed. It wasn't exactly a battle he was willing to pick right then. His father didn't exactly have a guard. He was of no royal blood, and he was only there because he'd married Leia, all those years ago. He kept a band of men, however, for his own protection - and they were all well paid. His father had his own funds, and his own business ventures, and he did not want for his mother's money often. Han Solo was not the type of man who would accept money unless he'd stolen it by way of smuggling or whatever other nefarious deeds he got up to. It was the only way that Ben could foresee him even becoming entangled with a man like Snoke.

At least Ben had come by his cruelty honestly.

"You are nothing but a pathetic animal," Snoke finally seethed out at him. "You never would have been enough of a fighter to stand up to my training," He pointed at his own chest, pressing his finger there a few times for emphasis. "I hope you are happy with your ridiculous captain of the guard. May you both rot well in your graves," He backed away from the table, leaving the room in an agitated huff.

Ben released a deep breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. It had been a dire threat, but it wasn't the worst one Ben had ever heard him make.

* * *

There had been no grand ceremony with the changing of his guard. Once he had declared it, it was done. He thought it better not to draw anymore attention to the decision than already had been drawn. Rey would have duties, most of which came to palace security detail and news of the outlying kingdom beyond the palace. She would report to him, instead of his mother, who had often been the one to oversee the guard. She had decided a few months ago she would give the task over to her son. Rey would bring in others she saw fit to join up, and they would be archers, fighters, and healers, among other things.

Ben was not, at that moment, concerned about war, but it was better to have a strong guard in any case.

Ben had stood up and left the room with no further conversation after Snoke had gone. He half expected the man to be standing in the hallway with a long-sword ready to run him through. He found that the palace went on as it often did, even if it felt like a tectonic plate had moved underneath his feet. He had been so focused on his thoughts that he hadn't realized Rey had come up behind him. He barely heard her footsteps before turning to capture her within his view. She stopped, her cape rolling gloriously around her ankles.

"Are you well, Prince?" Ben could not tell if her concern was genuine.

"Well enough, captain," He murmured, before continuing his way down the stairs. He had to seek out his mother. Rey continued to follow him. He stopped again, looking back at her. "You are not my personal body guard, you are free to return to your duties,"

"Perhaps I ought to be, for a time," Snoke's threat had unsettled her, at least on his behalf. She moved to catch up with his long strides as he continued walking.

"That won't be necessary,"

"Will you take it under advisement?" She had that same sarcastic twitch of a smirk on her face. She reached out, pointing to the knife-point wound that he thought was well hidden on his neck. It was ugly, blackened, likely because of whatever the blade was poisoned with. "How did you come by that, m'lord?"

"It was an accident," He continued on his way. "I'm sure you're busy. I won't keep you any longer,"

He knew the walk to his mother's chambers and could probably do it in his sleep, but Rey kept her silent pace behind him. He didn't try to tell her to go away again, seeming to feel it might have been futile. Even if she was his guard, it was obvious she was going to do what she liked. Normally, he might have felt good about her concern, but he had to wonder if she'd been put in to play just to keep an eye on him.

His mother's chamber door stood partially open. He saw Luke sitting across from her in the parlor. She was wearing a flowing white gown that reminded him of blood on the snow, red stitching giving it the eerie effect. Rey stopped at the door, and stood outside of it, as if she truly was his body guard. They were drinking tea. His mother looked waxen and pale, and he could tell immediately that she wasn't feeling good. Luke stood up to give a short bow as Ben made his presence known.

"You look exhausted," Leia said, setting her teacup aside with a small clink on the saucer.

"Leave him be, Leia," Luke said. They were twins of sorts, and he wondered how much passed between them without him knowing. "Have you told them?"

"Yes," Ben said, sweeping his cloak away so that he could take a seat in the chair beside his mother's.

"From the looks of it, he didn't take it very well," Leia said, reaching for a small morsel of a biscuit with one glittering hand.

"He took it very well," Ben said. "He wished me a good rot in my grave. And Rey, too,"

"Luke," Leia said. "I have something to speak to my son about in private," It was the kindest way she could dismiss him.

"I will return later," He said, standing up again. Luke stopped briefly to greet Rey, but the conversation was too quiet, and he couldn't quite catch what they were saying to one another. Luke shut the door, and Ben could no longer hear them at all.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, mother, I'm sure,"

"She seems no more inclined to be kind to you than Snoke was. I heard about what she did at the ball,"

"No, but I highly doubt she has his capacity for cruelty,"

"I worry for you Ben. That man is like creeping vine. He strangles everything in his path," She coughed, reaching again for her tea. Ben's eyes settled on it before he glanced at her.

"Who made the tea?"

"Luke did, of course," She finished off the cup. Ben watched her as she set it back down. "Ben, bring me my box," She said.

It was a game they had played when he had been a boy. She would hide small trinkets in there, and set the puzzle box to a simple puzzle so that he could open it. He stood up, finding it shoved among her things in her armoire. He retrieved it, and handed it to her. It had many different compartments and openings. He couldn't believe she was trying to rekindle the game, and had to assume she had something else in mind.

"Inside are your papers," She said. "Your birth certificate, the documents that confirm you as king of the realm," Ben had seen them once or twice during his boyhood, but his mother kept them very well under wraps. "The stone also resides inside,"

Ben knew what she was talking about - as it was the stone, and not the crown, that denoted royalty. There had been times during his boyhood where he had wanted to take it and chuck it into a nearby lake. He had been given it at a very young age as a test. It was said that if one was not of true blood, the stone would crack - and there were previous indications of such cracks. He had held it in his palm and it had not cracked, confirming that he had then already feared; that his life wasn't just some bad joke.

"I want you to take them with you," Leia said. "I'm not sure, but I sense something ill in the wind," She drew her cape around her for more warmth. "I believe it's time you had the stone in your possession,"

"Mother, there's no need for me to-," She didn't let him finish his sentence.

"Listen, Ben," She turned towards him, grasping his gloved hand which was so much larger than hers. "I am sorry for you, but I don't believe that your path in the next few years is going to be an easy one. If it were to come up, I don't want anyone to doubt who should be king,"

"Why would it come up?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I just have a feeling," His mother's feelings tended to be eerily correct, as proven many times in her past. "So take it with you, and hide it well, and remember who you are. Where you come from,"

Ben didn't like this line of thought. He knew that his mother had been feeling her mortality, lately. Her doctors had prescribed her as having a heart that was too big for her body, and her illnesses came more frequently these days. He wondered if it had something to do with Uncle Luke, as well. There had been rumors of a kind that Luke had sired his own children, who might also have a claim to the throne. Ben had yet to see evidence of such a thing, but the cogs in his mind were turning. He thought about Rey, though he couldn't honestly see anything of his uncle in her. \This was no grand coronation, but in name and in secret his mother had just abdicated her throne.

"The time will come when the rest of the realm must know," She admitted. "But for now, I want you to keep this between us,"

"Fine, mother. If you're sure,"

"I am,"

Ben knew the puzzle box well, but it was likely his mother had put a complicated hold on it. He would not try to decipher it that night, as it was probably better to leave it as it was. He took the secret passageway back to his room, box held underneath his arm. He had unbarred the door from the night before, and he found his rooms eerily silent and eerily untouched. He had to think about where he would hide it; in case his mother was right and someone should come looking for it. He wondered if he didn't want someone else to find it. To set him free from his obligation.

He could go out into the world and disappear. No poisoned prince, no past, no future. The wound where he'd been nicked was throbbing. He set the box into a dark place, resolving to put it in a better hiding spot that night. He undid his cloak and pulled down the high collar of his jacket, finding that the wound had ugly black veins running out from the point of entry. He knew what type of poison this was. It was a fairly common type that was often used by being burned onto blades. The reaction created a sort of gel-like layer, but only the tip of the blade had gotten him - and it was a poison that Ben had made sure he was resilient to. It hurt like hell, but it would clear up in a few days.

Ben put on the quietest boots he had, and undid all of his princely garb in favor of something that was more comfortable. He locked his chamber doors from the inside, in case Rey came looking for him. Unless she picked the lock, he was the only person who (as far as he knew), held the key. He grabbed the box and disappeared down the secret passageway.

* * *

Ben had gotten to know these passageways very well when he'd been a teenager. Sometimes they proved to be the only respite from Snoke, who had been extra brazen when he'd been a young boy. The man would sometimes terrorize him all the way to his bedroom. Ben had never really had a defender in this, but eventually he got strong enough to defend himself and Snoke had left the beatings for the training field only. Still, Ben used the passageways, and there were rooms in the Palace he was sure even his mother didn't know about.

It was one such room he found himself in that night. He'd lit up the dusty fire-pit. At some point he had pulled a cot down there, and he often went there when he was in desperate need of a good nights sleep. The walls were lined with books that he'd taken from the study or he'd found on his travels. Mostly they were books about fighting technique, and a good deal of them housed information about poison. There was an old desk that was older than he was, and in it he hid important documents or writings in his own hand. He set the box on the desk. He had also brought with him a candle, the wrapped up dagger, and the drawing of the banner he'd sketched out in the early morning hours.

It was freezing down here, even with the presence of a fire, so Ben had brought with him a fur lined cloak which he wrapped tightly around his body before sitting down at his desk. He unwrapped the dagger, poring over it much as he did the night before. It looked rather ordinary, but Ben had the feeling there was something more to it. Still, the more he looked it over, the more frustrated he got. There were no holes, no mechanisms, nothing. When it had grown late, Ben had laid himself down on the cot after pushing it closer to the fire. He felt safe there, he doubted that anyone would be able to find him there - so he slept without worry of being found. He woke many hours later, the night having passed by with no incident. He was thankful for it, but he realized he couldn't hide out down there all day.

The week passed without much incident. Rey's training schedule was less vigorous during that first week. He didn't say anything, considering it was likely she was still trying to settle into her new position. They kept her busy, and even though she had asked him about that night and the conversation that he and his mother had had, he had given her no information. Each night, however, he went down to his secret room, not thinking that Rey might have caught onto the fact that he wasn't in his chambers at night.

One morning, he had made the decision to join his parents for breakfast. He had gotten dressed in a deep heather gray - a finely constructed, finely made wool doublet which had no sleeves. It had the insignia of his court embroidered onto the breast; a wolf with ivy for a mane. He wore it over a white shirt, which had been freshly laundered the night prior. It buttoned at his wrists, falling loosely around his arms. It was the closest he got to frills. His father was not in the breakfast hall, and his mother kept her quiet court at the head of the table with tea and biscuits. Luke was nowhere to be found.

It was a fairly regular morning, though Ben felt unsettled, somehow. Rey joined them both, standing in the corner of the room. She had probably breakfasted with her counterparts, but she looked peeved. Ben had been doing a good job of shirking her for over a week, which likely meant that Uncle Luke wasn't happy with her. He had come to the decision that that was exactly what she was there for - which meant that he regretted his rash decision to put her in charge. Still, he hoped that she might at least make an effort to save his life if it came down to it.

Ben watched without interest as a maid handed his mother a platter of fruit. Berries, mostly, as they were in season. She ate a few without incident, taking another sip of her tea as she read something that she'd set beside her dishes. Ben watched his own tester take the food he'd been given, with no reaction. He ate a few bites of fowl that had been crisped with honey oil and slathered lemon curd over a piece of toast. His appetite had been little, but he found himself hungry that morning.

He found it strange when the maid who had deposited his mother's breakfast made eye contact with him. He was sure he saw her smirk. She disappeared a few moments later, and Ben looked up just in time to see his mother slump over her breakfast, upending her tea and sending berries rolling across the heavy oaken table.

"Mother!" He shouted, shooting up out of his seat.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion then. He got to her, realizing that there were deep blue berries hidden amid the other, less dangerous berries that were safe for eating. She must have gotten down at least three of them before she slumped over. Ben shouted some sort of command at Rey, who was quickly at his side, but even she looked panicked. He couldn't seem to make her understand.

"Stay with her," He said forcefully, knowing that the physician would have been fetched by that point.

He found himself running, trying to trace the steps of the maid. He stopped a good deal of them, forcing them to turn around and look at him. None of them were her. He kept running, knowing she couldn't have made it far. He found his way to the kitchen, and realized that there was one maid who was hurrying along quickly, trying to make it to the passageway that would send her out into the courtyard. Ben forced himself into a run, as fast as he could manage, and caught up with her. He spun her around, surprised at the utter hatred he found there in her expression. She fought him with everything she had, like a feral cat lashing out against it's captor. He kept asking her who she was, and who she worked for, but she wouldn't respond. It was too late before Ben realized that she'd drawn something out of her pocket and shoved it into her mouth, biting down quickly on whatever it was.

"No, no, no, no," Ben said through gritted teeth, trying to dig the compound out of her mouth before she had a chance to swallow it.

It was too late, she began convulsing, her lips stained with a strange green foam before her eyes rolled back into her head and she became limp. The wan coloring of her skin alerted Ben to the fact that she was already dead, but when he lowered her into the dirt and tested her pulse, it confirmed that she was. He stood up, brushing his gloved hands back through his mess of dark hair, blowing air out from his lips.

"Shit!" He shouted, kicking dust up onto the girl where it settled on her face. She wouldn't feel it. She wouldn't feel anything ever again.

By the time she had died there were servants that had joined him out in the courtyard, looking on in horror and confusion. Ben began barking orders, and they carried the girl into the church, where the dead were often taken. There was a monk who oversaw the process of ensuring that someone could pass into the 'force' with ease, but he was also good at telling how and why someone had died. He would look over the body, and let Ben know if he found anything.

By the time Ben had run back to the breakfast room, his father and his uncle had been roused from wherever it was they had been. Luke looked pale, and his father looked angry. Rey had followed in the footsteps of the physician, who had taken his mother to her chamber. She still lived, though she would not respond. Ben knew about the berries, and while it wasn't often instant death, they were called sleeping fruit for a reason. She had a small pulse, but even with her peaceful look - there with her plush and luxurious blankets, Ben felt unsure that she would live.

He was angry with himself, but he was too focused on her to have much time to beat up on himself. He imagined the machinations of the palace, moving around him after they had realized that someone has poisoned their queen. There would be an inquest, of course, and the girls' death would be heavily investigated. Ben kept going over the capsules in his mind. How had she gotten them? Who would have told her to do such a thing? He did not want his mother to die, and he sat by her side until his eyelids drooped heavy and he fell asleep with his hand over hers.

* * *

It was his father who shook him awake. Ben grumbled angrily and peered into the sunlight, his eyes landing first on his mother. She hadn't moved, and the strange nature of the fruit she'd eaten made it look like she was slowly being wrapped in a silky cocoon. Ben ripped them away as best he could, finding he felt like an angry boy all over again. Han pulled him away from his mother, though he had much less success in doing so than he would have had Ben still been a boy. Ben reeled back, and hit his father. He was lashing out too, much like the maid had before she'd killed herself. His father stumbled back, into a chair, holding his nose which was now bleeding.

"Where were you?" Ben seethed, flexing his knuckles.

"Ben," His father said firmly, standing up, moving closer. Ben stood back in a defensive position, but what his father did next surprised him. He wrapped his arms around him, forcing him into a hug. Ben tensed, though Han held him fast. "I'm sorry," He finally said, keeping his grip on his son.

Ben couldn't stand it, and he pushed his father aside.

He paused, realizing Luke was standing at the far end of the chamber - and he had seen the entire thing. Ben decided to shake it off, and exited the room, despite the overwhelming desire to stay with his mother - he realized that he couldn't stand another moment in a room with either of them.

Ben had a list in his mind. It started with Finn, whom he tracked down in the fighters' barracks. It was a task he didn't feel comfortable giving to Rey, but he knew Finn loved his mother as well as he did. Finn looked stormy, it was likely that he had heard about what had happened. He stopped his practice activity when he saw Ben lurking in the corner. Ben had no idea what he must have looked like, but he was sure he was a fright. Finn walked up to him, and Ben moved him off to the side.

"I want you to stay with my mother," He admitted. "I'll give you extra money, whatever it is you want,"

Finn shook his head.

"I will stay with her," He said brusquely. "You do not have to provide me anything but the pleasure of taking honor in the task,"

Ben was surprised, but he remembered that his mother was well loved. Well loved among her people, and her court.

"Thank you," It was about as mushy as either of them were going to get. "Keep an eye on my uncle. And my father. It's an order, if they give you trouble about it, tell them to come to me,"

Finn only nodded. He understood.

* * *

updates are quick because i'm having so much fun. hope you're enjoying it also! send me your thoughts and feels. share if you like!


	5. Chapter 5

"It was sinese," The monk said, handing over a drawing of the plant he believed had been responsible for the death of the maid. "Very fast acting, especially when synthesized down like that,"

"Sinese," Ben murmured, looking at the plant. "It doesn't grow here at all,"

"No, the last I heard it only grows in very specific areas, none of them in this kingdom,"

"What else?" Ben asked, looking over Dameron, the young monk who had taken over the church in his fathers place.

"I found this," Ben watched as Dameron revealed the scarred marking on the woman's hip bone. It looked like a brand. Ben immediately recognized it. It was the bird, and the arrow. The very one he'd found on the banner some weeks ago.

"Do you recognize it?"

"No, it's not anything I've ever seen before," He admitted, earnestly. "Have you?"

"Yes, once before," Ben said, darkly, before he came out of whatever reverie he was in. "Thank you for the information,"

"Surely," The monk said. "She'll be buried tomorrow in an unmarked grave. No one recognized her, or claimed her,"

"Strange," Ben said in reply.

He folded up the information that Dameron had given him before making his way back to his mother's bed chamber. There was Finn, standing stalwart in the corner. It never seemed to catch up with him, though he knew that they changed guards every so often - the task given only to Finn's most trusted agents. There was no change, and she still rested peacefully, a princess waiting for a prince to kiss her back to life.

He couldn't say that his father was any sort of Prince, at least not one of fairy tales. The reality of his father was that he was much more of a scoundrel than a prince. Ben had yet to find any other information on the banner, despite his digging through all of the books he thought might be helpful. The poison that the girl had used to kill herself might be of use, though, if he could figure out where it had come from.

He had a training session with Rey, which he avoided, completely. He just didn't want to face her, didn't want to see her, especially since he was concerned that every action he took she relayed back to his uncle. He knew she was beginning to grow suspicious of his actions, but he couldn't find it in him to try and smooth it over enough so that she wouldn't continue to seek him out. Maybe if he had a brain, he might have done just that, but he avoided her as much as he could.

That night, he had research to do.

Once the Palace had grown dark, he had crept into the kitchen to grab whatever food he might scrounge up. He never touched wine, but he found a bit of fire-ale that he was fairly sure wouldn't kill him. He crept back into his chambers, glad to find the hallway empty. He gathered up everything he wanted to carry back to his secret room and disappeared again down the dark passageway. He had forgotten to lock the door from the inside, something he had done with so much habit over the past few weeks that he likely had already assumed that it was done.

He brought a candle with him, as always, to light his way. He found the small, secret room untouched, and he used the fire from the candle to light the fire in the fire pit, as always. He was glad for the warmth of the fire, and he ate a few pieces of food before pouring himself a bit of the amber hued liquid. He took a drink of it, finding it burning at the back of his throat, much like his first sip of muckberry wine. He was thankful to find he wasn't convulsing, however, and the liquid warmed him up enough for him to continue on with a second drink.

He brought out books he intended to look over. He'd read about Sinese before, but he needed to revisit what information he had read. He paused in front of his little collection, pulling out toxicology encyclopaedias and small slivers of leather books containing research notes and drawings, most of which came from men and women who were there before him. His mother had never seemed to notice what he took, or maybe she did and she didn't say anything.

Ben spread out the books atop his desk, taking notes. He was so distracted that he hadn't thought that anyone might find their way into his chamber. He only lifted his head from his studies when he heard a small creak, which caused his back to line up with tension. He reached for the dagger that had almost killed him, moving into a corner of the room where he might stay hidden, and where he might still see who would come through the door.

She came through in a fumble, obviously having expected more resistance from the door. It was Rey, in her dark crimson nightgown and her bare feet. Curiosity killed the cat. Ben dropped the dagger to his side, sighing heavily. Wonderful, now Luke would know where he'd been hiding out. Ben hated to admit that she looked fetching in the low light of the candles, and while his eyes traced her, she seemed to become modest. She drew her shawl more tightly over her shoulders.

"You found me," Ben said, moving to close his books and hide his notes and drawings as best he could. "Why don't you go on and tell Uncle Luke? I'm sure he'd love being woken up at this hour,"

"Well, you left your door unlocked," She said, moving into the small, fire lit chamber. "I was worried,"

"I'm sure you were," He said simply. Each time they spoke it seemed that their interactions got shorter, and shorter. He hoped she would leave.

He hoped she would stay.

"Ben, you honestly can't believe that I wouldn't be worried, especially after what happened..."

"We don't need to talk about it," He held up his hand, trying to stop her from the current line of conversation. "And it's 'your highness', not Ben," He said, through gritted teeth. "How did you find me?"

"You're not as secretive as you would have yourself believe, your highness," She murmured, sarcastically. "What are you doing down here?"

"I obviously have no intention of telling you what I'm doing down here," He finally said. "So why don't you run along?"

"Ben," She said, insistent on using his first name even if it got underneath his skin in a way he couldn't fathom. "Please tell me what's been going on. It's what I was hired for,"

"You were brought in to report back to my uncle," He said, taking a seat at his desk. The alcohol made him a bit bolder. "Am I wrong?"

"Yes," She said, stubborn as always. "What can I do to prove it to you?"

"What if I stop paying you?"

"Fine," She said, abruptly, already having agreed without thinking about it.

"I can't stop paying you," Ben laughed.

"If it's going to get you to believe me," She said. "I'll accept it,"

He could imagine Luke feeding her these words. He felt bad for her. He felt bad for himself. What did he have to lose by telling her? Well, his life. And what small bits of privacy he'd managed to squirrel away for himself. However, looking at her in the candle light, he thought he didn't care so much. Maybe it was the alcohol blurring the edges of his vision, maybe it was her crimson nightgown, but Ben found himself wanting to tell her. He wanted to spill all of it - every wretched detail.

"Have a drink,"

Ben poured more of the amber liquid out into his own glass, sliding it over with two digits until it was a distance she could reach. She hesitated, but eventually she plucked it up and tossed it back. It wasn't her first time, obviously. He had made up his mind. He lifted his fur lined cloak from the broad expanse of his shoulders, moving in front of her and wrapping it around her slim frame. It was freezing, and he could tell she was doing her best not to shiver. He was too close for comfort, he could feel the resolute desire bubbling up within him as he stood there, leaning in. She let him, her sweet breath co-mingling with his own. She wasn't coy, not like she had been, her gaze lifting up to his in a sort of a challenge.

He was the one to back down.

"It's cold," was all he could manage, lamely. "Have a seat," He motioned to the cot where his messy blankets were rolled up in a knot. It was obvious he'd been sleeping there.

"You've been avoiding me," She said, moving the glass around in her fingertips before taking another sip.

"I don't trust you,"

"Well, that's obvious,"

"I would like for you to trust me," She seemed sad about something.

"What's wrong?" Ben asked, looking her over.

"Your mother...I-" She stopped, obviously unsure of what to say. "I wasn't expecting that she would be harmed,"

"Expecting?" Ben asked, curious about her strange choice of words.

"I just don't know of anyone that would want to hurt her," She deflected, successfully, and Ben decided not to pursue it for the time being.

They sat there in silence for a few long minutes before Rey finally spoke up again.

"Are you going to tell me what's been going on?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary,"

Rey only scoffed before trying again.

"Fine, I'll tell you what I know," She set the empty glass with a thunk on his desk, and she could feel the intensity of her gaze boring holes into the side of his face. "That," She pointed at the ugly cut that was only beginning to heal on his neck. "Was not an accident, obviously not," She wrapped his fur-lined cloak more resolutely around herself. "Someone tried to kill your mother, and considering I'm not stupid, I have to assume that it extended to you as well,"

"What a fanciful story,"

"Your highness," She said, through gritted teeth. "You've obviously come up against something that you're not going to be able to deal with on your own," She looked utterly frustrated. How was she to help if he wouldn't accept the help? "Let us strike a deal,"

"What sort of deal?" He asked, finally turning to look at her, noting the crux of flesh where her collarbones met. He found himself wanting to taste it. Quickly, he looked away.

"I'll agree to be your bodyguard for a time. Finn can pick up my extra duties, since he is obviously familiar with them. We won't tell anyone, and I'll stay away from Luke. In the meantime, you have to tell me what you've learned,"

"I will know if you've reported anything back to Luke,"

"If you're insistent on not believing me, I'll have Finn step in as your bodyguard,"

"No, he needs to remain with my mother," Ben paused. "Let's say I agree to this. What recourse will I have if I find you've been relaying information?"

"I'll agree to leave the palace and you will never see me again,"

Ben wondered at the change in her. What had happened that had made her so ready to help him?

"Fine, it's a deal," He reached out with chilly fingers, and they shook on it.

"Start with the banner," Ben said, having shifted his chair so he could look at her. He was all in charming disarray, and he sat with artful carelessness in his chair before kicking his feet up onto the desk and crossing his arms around his middle.

"I thought it was to be you providing information to me," She murmured, sulkily.

"It should probably be an even exchange," Ben said, taking the drawing he'd done from memory and tossing it onto the edge of the cot where she was now curled up - feet tucked underneath her in an attempt to store warmth. She was dwarfed in his cloak, but it was better than the alternative of trying not to stare at her. "You've seen it before, haven't you?"

"No, I haven't," She looked it over, and Ben knew she was lying. He didn't dwell on it.

"A few nights ago, a masked woman found her way into my chambers," He pulled out the dagger, handing it carefully over to her. "She left that behind - she heard a servant in the hallway and she must have gotten scared. She ran and disappeared,"

"I've seen one like this before," Her eyebrows went up as she examined it from each angle. "There's only one blacksmith in the entire kingdom who makes them this way," She paused, handing it carefully back over to Ben. "Her name is Rose. I've never seen her put poison on her blades, though. It was probably done without her knowledge,"

"The woman who tried to kill my mother was bearing the same mark," He pointed to the drawing he'd done of the bird and the arrow. "And she killed herself with Sinese," Ben let his feet drop down, turning back towards his desk. He grabbed a book he had open to a page about the plant and handed it over to Rey. "You're still sure you've never seen the marking before?" He prodded her, again. It felt like a small test.

"I'm sure," She replied. It was as far Ben thought he might get with it that night. "But what about this...sinese?"

"It's not legal here, or anywhere, really," He admitted. "It's a highly toxic and expensive plant to grow. I have to imagine someone smuggled it in,"

"Unless they were growing it on their own,"

"That operation would be hard to hide," He said simply, pointing to the book. "You need human blood to complete the process successfully. A lot of it,"

Rey visibly shuddered, putting the book down. It was clear she'd learned enough about it.

"So what does all of this mean?" His cloak slipped, revealing the alluring curve of one of her shoulders as she spoke.

"I don't know. Whoever gave her that plant had to have a lot of resources, I'm guessing. It's also obvious that they're some sort of organization," He stared at her, intently, but she didn't blanch. "I wish I were less noticeable. I might be able to go down to the docks where the supply ships come and go and see if anyone remembered anything odd,"

"I could go in your stead," She offered.

"No," He said simply.

"Come on, you can't be worried for me,"

"I'm not worried for you, but the more time you spend here as the captain of my guard, the more recognizable you'll become. It's unlikely you'll get anymore information than I will," He crumpled up a piece of paper and tossed it into the fire, listening to it burn up.

"That's not true," She said, as she rolled her eyes. "I can blend in, and I bet we can find you a disguise of sorts that would make you less noticeable. If you go around on your giant horse demanding answers you won't have any luck, obviously. But I have a lot of experience with disguise,"

"And what a surprise that is," He said, pouring himself another glass of amber liquid.

* * *

They made a plan to travel out within the next few days to find Rose, and she if she remembered who had purchased the blade. Rey thought that they might also be able to get some information from the docks, but she had to take some time to think of how they might disguised themselves. They both agreed that they were to go on as normal for now, which meant that Ben would have to agree to show up to his training sessions.

Rey was no Snoke, she seemed to actually have an interest in helping him learn instead of beating it out of him. He hated to admit it, but after a few sessions, he noticed a difference. He was no longer cowering, no longer doubtful when it came to making a move. She was still his better, but he liked to think he got a little bit closer to matching her each day.

His mother continued to sleep - but she lived. Finn kept guard with her, and occasionally he would report to Ben who came and went. Ben had to hold onto hope that one day she would wake up. Perhaps he might find the person who was responsible, and force them to help her, though after many hours of poring over books, it seemed as if there was no antidote. Winter faded away into spring, and the bright red magnus flower trees bloomed with their succulent, sickly sweet scent filling up the courtyards and staining the paths red. It was almost as if nothing had happened at all, as if they might remain in this stasis where nothing interesting would ever happen again. There were no further attempts on his life, or anyone else's, for that matter - but the longer it went without activity the more uncomfortable Ben became in waiting for the other shoe to drop.

There was a lull in their plans, Ben had to continue to see to the destruction that was taking place on the ousts of his kingdom, but he never came across that same banner again - he knew it was likely the same people that were responsible for it. He sent out guards and riders to stand as sentinel. There would be no more kingdom if these assassins made their way inside and began razing bigger villages and townships. His uncle and his father had been scarce. As of yet, there was no indication that either of them had found out about his mother passing on the stone, or his small little hide-away. Rey found him most nights, slumped over his desk with a candle burning low. He wondered why she felt the need to check on him, but he often woke up with a blanket draped over his shoulders - his desk tidied, and the candle having been blown out.

That morning, after he'd had a stolen breakfast in his chamber, he'd gotten dressed in light wear and headed down to the training yards. It was warm out, the sun causing him to squint until his eyes grew used to it. He spotted Rey before she spotted him, preparing for their session. She was wearing a brilliant blue dress which looked like it had been wrapped around her in ribbons. It was such a deep teal that it reminded Ben of the only time he'd ever seen the sea. She had traded her normal black breeches for a pair of doe-soft tan breeches, and her feet were bare. He had once thought her choice to go without shoes whilst sparring was odd, but he had grown used to it. He had begun to ignore the slight lightness he felt when he saw her. He had tried to ignore the fact that he looked forward to seeing her each day. He still didn't trust her, but it was becoming more and more muddled as to why he didn't trust her.

She smiled when she saw him - the sunlight catching in the red strands of her hair and making her eyes the color of molten gold. She had gotten brown with the sun, and so had he, considering it was the most he had seen of the sun since he'd been a boy. Sometimes he felt as if he wasn't a King at all, merely a man. With her, it was easy to forget - though sometimes he was sure he caught her looking over her shoulder, and he wondered what she was waiting for.

That day he felt light, and it showed when they sparred. He landed more hits on her than he ever had, and taking a page from her book he was actually able to upend her, sending her sprawling onto her back in the dirt. He couldn't help but feel smug about it, considering she had done it to him hundreds of times. She always reminded him of his weaknesses in battle, but the way she chose to do it was through consequence, and each time she exploited one of them, he got better at learning how to fix them.

After a strenuous session, he managed to disarm her, sending her practice blade awry with a double thump into the dirt. He bared forward, pressing his own blade to her chest as her back connected with the wall, nearly knocking the breath out of her. Snoke he would have wanted to run through, but seeing the surprise on her face always pleased him. Finally, she took the wooden blade between her hands (which was a violation), and used her brute strength to knock it out of the way. She was going after her practice blade, but if they were to throw rules to the wind, Ben would do the same. He reached out for her, grasping her by the ends of her dress - pulling her back in a spin so that her front was placed up against his front. He boxed his arms around her, keeping her still even though he could see she was angry at him for having cheated. They stood their like that, breathing heavily and sizing each other up for a few moments.

"Do you yield?" He asked, unable to stop himself from smirking.

"Never," She responded, though she didn't step on his foot, or knee him in the groin like she might have in the past. Was it respect he saw there?

It was the clearing of a throat that alerted them to the fact that they were not alone. They stepped apart immediately, both of their hands dropping to their sides. Ben was disappointed to find his uncle standing there, seeing him was like a cold bucket of water to the face. He'd been sleeping for the past few weeks, and he felt as if he'd just been woken up.

"I see you're improving," He said, dismissively. "Rey, I would see you, in my chambers," He looked pleased with himself. Ben had to wonder why.

"I'm busy, ser," She murmured, although Luke's look indicated that she would not be speaking to him that way again.

"Now, please," He murmured, turning on his heel and disappearing.

Rey didn't look at Ben as she exited the room, her hands clasped behind her back. The motion reminded him of a girl he'd once known.

He did not see her for the rest of the day.

* * *

Ben had gone to see his mother, but found there was no change in her. He had a brief exchange of words with Finn before a courier came running up to him to provide him with a report of all of the goings on. There had been more burned homes, and odd testimonials from the guards he'd sent out to try and find whoever it was. Letters that indicated that they hadn't seen anyone, and that it felt as if they'd been attacked by ghosts.

That night when he found his way back to his chambers, he found himself oddly exhausted. He was going over the details in his mind, over and over again, trying to connect the dots. He thought he had a good idea, but how was he going to prove it? If Rey was still under his uncle's thumb, he was going to have to do it alone. The thought of it bothered him more than he might have admitted to himself.

He undressed, and in the process of doing so, he found that the door to the passageway creaked open, as if someone had just gone that way. He grabbed his cloak, a candle, and a knife from his breakfast plate that morning which had yet to be cleared and followed the sound down slowly. He was shirtless, and barefoot, and even though the days had warmed the corridor was filled with centuries old chill that had settled into the brick. He ignored it, trying to follow the noises as they came. They went directly to his small, private hide-away.

Initially he assumed that Rey had finally told Luke about it, had probably told Luke about everything, but when he found the door standing ajar an inch he slowly pushed it open only to find her standing there in front of the cold fireplace. She hadn't lit it, and the room was dark except for a candle that had nearly burned down to the nub.

"Rey?" He asked, wondering if she'd come down here to kill him herself. She didn't turn around, and Ben noticed that she was still wearing her sparring outfit from earlier. He realized shortly thereafter that she was shaking.

He didn't want to startle her, so he tried her name again, but she still gave him no reply. He finally reached up, gently grasping her biceps with his hands, leading her so that she'd turn around. He was surprised at what he saw. Her lip was busted and her eye was bruised. It looked like her nose was bleeding, too. Rey never would have let someone punish her like this, and he had to imagine that she'd been somehow coerced into it.

"Holy force," He muttered. "Who did this? Was it my uncle?" He could see the anger in her eyes, and he could see her fighting back tears. It was something Ben had learned to do a long time ago. Crying only seemed to encourage a beating, sometimes.

"No," She muttered, grasping his forearms with her hands. He helped her sit down, though he honestly couldn't tell if she was lying or not. Why did it seem as if she was still protecting Luke from something?

"Stay here,"

He was quick, sneaking into his chambers to retrieve what little he'd muddled together for a first aid kit. It would be hard to find ice with the spring coming, so he found a salve that would help the swelling and numb the soreness. He'd used it plenty of times himself. He shut the door to the passageway, tight. He was worried now that it was not as safe as it had once been, but it was the best he could do for now. He found her curled up in the corner of his cot, her legs pulled up underneath her. He took a moment or two to start the fire, making sure it blazed as warmly as it could.

In the activity, he'd shed his cloak and she'd pulled it over her shoulders. Her eyes alighted on his scars, but he was too focused on what he was doing to be ashamed about it. His breeches hung low on his hips, and even though she could still best him in a match, it was obvious he trained hard and had been for quite a number of years. He wet a rag and began wiping the blood gently away from her split lip. He was as soft as he could be, but she hissed in a bit of discomfort anyway.

"I'm sorry," He muttered.

"It's fine," She said, leaning in as he moved on to wipe the blood from her nose. It didn't look broken, which he thought was a positive sign.

"Who did this?"

"It's not important," She said. "I want to tell you something before I don't get another chance,"

"What?"

"Ben, I-" She frowned, it was obvious she didn't know to proceed. "I think we should find Rose as soon as possible. Can we go tomorrow? First thing in the morning?" She looked so hopeful.

He didn't have the heart to argue with her.

* * *

Probably the last of the fast updates, since I have to return to work, boohoo! Hope y'all are enjoying so far!


	6. Chapter 6

Ben had slept in his chambers that night, and Rey had returned to hers. It seemed better to continue on as if nothing was wrong, as it might be hard to get out of the palace without anyone knowing about it. His uncle was going to be the hardest to put off, but Ben thought that if they left in the dark hours and gave a small explanation as to where it was they were going such as; 'on a hunt', 'out for a ride', his uncle might not find it suspicious enough to send someone after him. He wondered at it now, how long he'd been stained by the shadow of his uncle, and why he would take so much issue with his acolyte that he would bruise her face. Usually that was a pleasure that was left for Ben only. He found that the less they told the servants, the better it was.

He got up a few hours before the sun was set to rise, looking out to find that the moons were full, which would help them while they journeyed but hopefully no one would be alerted to their presence. They had decided not to take any horses with them, considering that they often left behind some sort of noticeable trail, and they would be noticed when they were gone.

Ben lit a stub of a candle and crept through his chambers, pulling on the plainest clothes he could find. Rey had been specific about it, so he pulled out old, faded clothes that hadn't been thrown out just yet. He kept to black, choosing garments that would conceal rather than put him on display, which was difficult, considering he had the closet of a Prince. The costly closet of a Prince, in fact. He found a pair of old boots that he hadn't worn which were cracked, but they would do well in convincing people he didn't come from any sort of means.

He heard a soft knock at his door and tilted his head, creeping up to peer through the keyhole. He found Rey standing there, resplendent in her dark gown of velvet, so black it resembled the night. There were stars tossed across it, and it dipped low on her breast, giving her the appearance that she was more pale than not. On her neck rested that strange necklace that resembled bloody pomegranate seeds. Her hair was curled and pinned half up, leaving tendrils to curl around her shoulders and face. Apparently, looking like a pauper wasn't part of her plan. He had to wonder what she had in mind. He felt the urge to stammer out something flattering, but he saw the look on her face and swallowed it back, shutting his door quietly behind him until it clicked.

"Give me your purse," She said, once they'd silently crossed the gardens and disappeared out into the woods.

He didn't question it, he had decided to trust her this far, and what other choice did he have? He drew it out of his old, dusty cloak and handed it to her. She hooked it into her own cloak, a black, fur lined affair that looked as if it had been responsible for the death of more than a few black furred sneets. It was nearly as dark as her dress and made of a suede leather that was lined all throughout with fur. He wondered where she had gotten it from.

"Why the fanciful getup, lady?" He asked, his voice sarcastic.

"Shut up and let me put these on you," He saw what she was carrying, chains. He shook his head.

"I don't think so,"

"Come on, _m'lord,_ it's part of the disguise. I won't put them on tightly so you'll be able to slip out of them if you need to,"

He felt like a scolded child, but he stuck his wrists out anyway. She also unhooked his belt and his sword sheath, touching him in places that were reserved mostly for himself - fingertips ghosting along his waist as she wrapped her arms around him. She likely had daggers hidden all over her, but she took his sword belt and slung it over her hips, pulling it tightly and belting it. It suited her, he had to admit. Now he was defenseless and chained, and he had to wonder if he trusted her _that much_. She could have very well been leading him to his death, but why go through all of the charades?

She lifted her hands up, a sort of mask placed between them, and he turned his head to avoid it being put on him. She gave him a look and he allowed himself to be cajoled into the disguise, allowing her to wrap the mask around his face and pull his hood up. She stopped, finding a hand full of mud and dirt and smearing him with it, as if she'd just found him in the forest and decided to shackle him up and take him home. He supposed it wasn't the craziest idea anyone had ever had, and the rich could afford to just take people into their indenture in this world. Ben was off balance, but he had less experience with this, and was willing to go along with it for now. She was right, usually he just bowled in and demanded answers.

When she was done, he stopped her, his hand grasping her slender wrists to keep her from turning away. His hair fell into his scarred eye, and he leaned into the moonlight to examine her face. The bruises were less visible, but he was glad to find they would be gone in a few days at most. It made him angry, but it was an anger he was holding onto for the time being. He didn't like to think of anyone suffering what he had, after all. He spied the blush that had risen to her cheeks and wondered at it. She didn't seem like the type to blush, but the moment was over so quickly that Ben didn't have time to dwell on it. She turned her face away from him after a few moments, and he was forced to resume his act as her servant.

It was a bit of a long trek into the city, and once they were there, Ben realized it was freeing - the fact that no one was looking at him. He moved invisibly, doing best not to meet anyone's eyes. No one seemed to notice, except for those that made an effort to move out of his way - in a hurry to continue on with their mornings. Rey played the part of a fine lady, and he wondered if it was a part she had played before. Sometimes it seemed as if she was enjoying it rather too much, when she would yank his chains and cause him to go stumbling forward like a graceless new born foal. The third or fourth time she did it, she yanked them so roughly that it caused him to stumble forward onto his knees.

"You're enjoying this too much," He growled, rising up like some sort of lake monster.

"I have to play the part,"

"Let us try less playing," He muttered, though he didn't bother to brush himself off as he'd righted himself - he was already covered in mud and dirt. He would be a complete mess before the morning was over.

Rey lead him through the marketplace with ease, and Ben realized this wasn't her first time here. She stopped occasionally, making it look as if she was shopping - and she forced him to halt each time she did it. She was definitely enjoying this too much. He loomed behind her, watching as people avoided him. Maybe it was his height, or his general disarray, but there was certainly a good deal of them who were obviously fearful of him.

Rey finally lead him to an area that was obviously less affluent. Having never been there before, he hadn't realized how bad it was. There was refuse and waste in the streets, some of which might never be carried off - and dead rat dogs - some skeletal and some bloated laying out in the sun to dry out and begin rotting. Ben could tell by the stench that the process was already in lieu, and was suddenly thankful for the mask that Rey had put over the lower half of his face. He tried not to appear offended by the stench, but truly it was one he had never experienced.

Rey was on guard, he knew it from sparring with her many times, but she was doing her best to play the demure lady who had never been in such an area. Ben might have kept the thugs away, and he found it amusing, as it was really her they should be more afraid of. He lumbered behind her at a slow pace, and they moved down winding alleyways and crept across still waking streets to find an empty sort of warehouse. There was no sign indicating it was a place of business, and it looked as though no one occupied it at all. He watched a few teenagers stop and examine them both curiously, but it seemed like a fight they decided not to pick. Ben was glad, it would make for an unpleasant turn of events.

He wanted to ask her what they were doing there, but eventually, she knocked three times. It wasn't the most secretive knock he'd ever heard, but the door swung open to her. There was nothing beyond, and Ben wondered if she was about to take him into a haunted warehouse. It was empty inside, and there was no indication that there was anyone there. Ben thought he could hear the wind roving through the rafters. When Ben opened his mouth to pose a question, Rey turned to look at him - her finger pressed over her berry stained lips. He obeyed, unused to being told what to do. Finally, she forced him down to his knees, placing her hand on his shoulder possessively.

"Keep your face covered and your head down," She whispered, abruptly.

He hated it, but he found he didn't mind so much; being ordered around by her. It wasn't long before the ghosts made themselves obvious - not ghosts at all, but rather a group of shady looking individuals who were just as masked and hidden as he was. The assumed leader made herself apparent after a few moments, and Ben had to wonder if they were some sort of organization of criminals. They probably were, after a second thought. She was short and unassuming, and had a sweet face. She was dressed in the heavy garb of a blacksmith, or some sort of line worker, and she had a smudge of soot on one of her apple like cheeks.

"How'd you find this place?" She asked, obviously irritated about being bothered. Ben wondered if they kept to the upper floors. He fought the urge to look up.

Rey dipped into a low bow before presenting the knife, which the woman examined carefully.

"Is this your handiwork, madam?"

"Please, it's Rose. Or you can call me Tico, if you want," She said, roughly, nodding her head. "I would rather not speak of these things in front of a servant," She motioned to Ben. "Why did you bring him?"

"He's an escapee from the estate, I was tasked with bringing him back. He's mute, you needn't worry about him speaking to anyone about this,"

"It is one of mine. How did you come by it?" She was obviously suspicious. "It's unusual for a lady like you to have one of my blades,"

"It was given to me by Lord Leonidas," She murmured. "It was used in an attempt on his life," It wasn't an outright lie. "He wondered if you might have a log of those that have purchased this blade from you,"

"I don't poison my blades," She said, obviously noting the sheen. "That was done by someone else," She was almost defensive about it.

"Of course not, lady. M'lord is merely looking to see if he might find out any more information,"

"What's in it for me?"

Rey unhooked his heavy coin purse from her cloak, holding it out. Tico watched it sway, obviously hypnotized by it's promise.

"Half now, half when we receive the information?"

Ben supposed he couldn't mourn the loss of his money, she had made it much further than he would have if he'd come into town undisguised. He might have to explain it to his father, however.

"Fine," She said, motioning her forward. Ben felt himself grow tense, watching those that circled them close in a few steps. "Where can I find you?"

"You can leave me a message at The Moons Inn," She said. "The innkeep will make sure I receive your messages," She dolled out half of the silver, handing it over to her. "I will send the rest your way when we receive your information,"

Rose smiled, and Ben was unsure she had any real reason to be honest about who purchased the blades.

"And if you don't send the money?"

"Oh, I will," Rey admitted. "Lord Leonidas would not hear of it...though if you don't provide your actual logs, I'm sure he would be completely willing to let the local guard know of your little operation. And, if you do me this favor, I'm sure he would be willing to do one in return,"

Rose looked irritated, but it didn't seem as if they were in any danger of being attacked right then.

"Fine, it's a deal,"

They shook hands on it, Rey lifting her hand gracefully from where it lay at his shoulder.

* * *

Ben was yanked to his feet like an animal shortly thereafter, though he looked around to find that all of her compatriots and Rose herself had disappeared. It was a little spooky, actually. It was as if they'd never been there before. Ben kept silent in case they were still being watched, and allowed himself to be tugged, like chattel, through the open door - which slammed shut dramatically behind them.

Ben stayed in his binds until they were out into the outer limits, and were fairly sure they weren't being followed. He slipped them, as she'd promised, and watched the chain thunk heavily into the mud. He glanced at her, impressed by her bravado but more certain that she was insane.

"Leonidas? Have you lost your mind? You could have at least used a fake person,"

"It doesn't ever have to get back to him," Rey said simply. "Besides, I've heard of Rose Tico, she doesn't take deals lightly. She doesn't have much of a reason to lie to us at this point,"

"Right," Ben said, unsure that that was the truth. "What if she is fearful that wind of her poisoned blade gets back to her?"

"She'll uproot before she lets that happen," Rey said. "The guard is sure she's a ghost, or an urban legend,"

"And how did you know about her?"

"Old friends," She said simply, though Ben could tell he wasn't going to get any more out of her than that.

"And she didn't recognize you?"

"Why would she? It's been years. And in this getup?" She motioned down to her dress.

"I hope you know what you're doing,"

She stopped behind him, raising both of her brows and putting her hands on her hips.

"What?" He asked.

"You're terrible at saying thank you, Prince," She muttered, dropping her hands and brushing past him.

Ben stripped his mask off, shoving it into one of the pockets of his old cloak - pulling his hood down from his dark hair. The sun had risen completely in the sky, and it had grown warm, prompting him to remove his gloves. Rey removed her cloak, slinging it over her arms and carrying it at her front. Ben looked sideways at her, finding the red strands of her hair seemed to catch the light best, shimmering in her dark mass of curls. He avoided looking at the rest of her, though he very dearly wanted to.

"Lady," He ventured. "Where do you come from?"

"I don't really know," She responded, honestly. "My parents died before I can remember,"

"And after that?"

"I was on the streets," She admitted, though he could tell she was dancing around telling him anything really truly important. "I was taught how to steal by some of the bigger girls," She admitted. "And sometimes we begged, but we managed to survive," She kicked a rock, upending it from the dirt and watched it roll to a stop.

"And how did you come into contact with my uncle?" He did not expect to get a straight answer to this question.

"One day I picked his pocket," She admitted. "I think he let me, just to see if I could do it," She continued to walk, her eyes on the dirt before she lifted them to the sky, seeming to enjoy the sun on her long, swan like neck. "He picked me up off of the street after that. He took me in,"

Ben had known of his uncle's affinity for orphans, but he wondered just how far it reached. He was silent then, until Rey stopped short, nearly causing him to bump into the back of her. She turned to look at him, all seriousness.

"Ben," She murmured. "I didn't know," She said simply.

"You didn't know what?"

"What sort of man he is,"

It was cryptic, but Ben thought it better not to try and pry anything more out of her. He felt lucky with the tidbits of information he had gotten thus far. She had a good twenty-years of past that he might never fully know, but it felt more like companionship now. Rey split off from him once they returned to the Palace, telling him it was likely he'd go unnoticed in the back passage. She was right - he was able to creep in without anyone seeing him. Or so, he assumed. Ben was beginning to feel it was better not to assume anything about this situation.

Neither of them knew how long it would take for Rose to get the information back to them, if she bothered at all. That morning, they were out in the court yard. It was early, but a crowd of onlookers had drawn in to view the two of them hitting each other with wooden staffs. There was a pleasant crack each time they connected - and Ben was so focused on Rey that he hadn't realized they had drawn a crowd. It wasn't until Rey paused, rolling her eyes, before he realized it.

"They really don't know what an awful person you are, do they?"

Ben frowned, unsure of how to take her abrupt honesty.

"I'm sure they do," He finally replied, though they were already thoroughly distracted from the activity by the time the boy showed up.

He stood off to the side of the courtyard, looking small and ethereal, quite like a changeling. His eyes were a wide, mossy green that resembled pools, and Ben was sure he didn't have a pupil to speak of. Rey was preparing herself to spar again when Ben pointed to the child. He wondered if Rey would recognize him, and found himself not surprised when she did. He leaned against his staff, his gloved hands wrapping around it before he glanced over to the crowd that had gathered. They stared, and then he stared, and it was all very awkward.

It happened quickly, the deposit of an envelope into Rey's hands. He was sure no one had seen it but him, as they were all too busy looking at him - though Rey had drawn in plenty of attention since she had become his Captain. There were already rumors circulating that she was to be his wife, which made him scoff inwardly.

They returned to their sparring, and when Ben looked back, the child was already gone.

He expected her that night, and once he had crept in behind his chamber door, he made sure it was locked and the candle was glowing there in the window. He grabbed his fur lined cloak and kept his boots on, disappearing into the chilly corridor. He took a candle with him, though he had walked this walk so many times he could do it without one. He'd been sparse among his family members, which he was sure was going to come back to bite him like a two headed snake, but for now, he felt it best to keep his distance. He worried for his mother, but he had come to trust that Finn would keep her safe, and as of now her condition had not changed. The physicians seemed at a loss, but each night, Ben did more research to see if there was something that might wake her from her slumber.

He had created a sort of study in the small room that was hidden in the depths of the palace. He had been forced to put up a shelf to hold the books he kept stealing from the library - though he had decided to circulate many of them so that they weren't noticeably missing. There was a candle stick and the cot was covered with blankets and pillows - in case he or Rey ended up sleeping there for the night. Most nights, she returned to her chamber right before sunrise. There was a sort of companionship in it that Ben didn't want to look too closely at, but even he had to admit that she seemed concerned for him.

Something had changed in her after his mother had been poisoned.

It was as if she was questioning her loyalties - but that might have been an assumption that Ben should not make.

He had beaten her there that night, which he found surprising, considering he thought she would be anxious to share whatever she had found out with him. Maybe she had taken the letter and fled. He lit the fire and set the candle aside, moving towards his small desk and sitting down at it. He began looking through the books he'd been perusing the night before, and after some more time passed, he began to take notes. It grew later than he was expecting, and he began to be worried that something was keeping her. After arguing with himself for a few moments, he took the candle and exited the small chamber in the direction of her chambers. He had yet to visit her there, as it seemed uncouth, but his concern got the better of him for some reason.

He moved as silently as he could, finding that the passageway into her chambers went unbarred. He pushed the door open though he was forced to hang back as he heard voices. One was most definitely his uncle's. He couldn't quite catch what they were saying, as it was low and tempered - as if they knew the walls might be listening. The only thing he was able to catch was Luke saying something about how she should not forget who she was indebted to. It became obvious after a few moments that he had exited the room, and Ben came through the door. She was right about him, like a bull - just forcing his way through.

She saw him standing there in the dark, and she looked momentarily terrified, and then embarrassed. Ben was glad to find that there were no new marks on her, despite how utterly confused he was about the relationship that she had with his uncle. She stood up, wearing a slinky nightgown that seemed made of stardust - and locked the chamber door so that Luke wouldn't make a sudden reappearance.

Ben suddenly grew very cognizant of the fact that he shouldn't be there, alone with her, in her chambers. His mother had at least taught him that. He stepped back into the darkness, obviously intending on taking his path back to his own chambers. She had caught him out - being concerned for her - and he had caught her out having another shadowy conversation with his uncle. Were they lovers? Ben shuddered at the thought, turning to go.

"Wait," She said, trying to stop him in his tracks. She pressed the unopened envelope into his hands. "Take this with you. I'll meet you tomorrow night," She seemed...scared.

Ben wondered what in the world was going on, and how long it was going to take her to tell him the truth of it...if she ever would.

* * *

Rey had made herself scarce, that day. She feigned some sort of illness, and from what Ben could tell, she kept to her chambers. Ben hadn't opened the envelope, hadn't been able to bring himself to do it, and instead decided to focus on his other duties which he'd been putting off. There were papers that needed signing and small issues that needed attending, and there was no one else to do it. It was a job that normally fell to his mother, but as of that morning, her condition remained the same. The day dragged by while Ben dealt with all the particulars of a job he didn't particularly want.

He found himself somewhat exhausted by the time he finished dinner and found his way back to his chambers. He sat down in one of his oversized chairs, taking a moment to enjoy the blaze of the fire. He was so distracted by his thoughts and the jumping light of the fire that he hadn't realized how much time had passed. The sun had gone down completely and Ben found himself still sitting in front of the warmth of his fire. He couldn't remember if he'd even locked his door, but he found a deep exhaustion in his bones. It reminded him of when he was a boy and he hadn't been able to get out of bed for a week. His mother was concerned it was an illness, but his father seemed convinced that Ben was just weak, and it was a sign of his weakness.

Ben wasn't sure what it was, he was struck sometimes by a sudden immobilization that was so strong it nearly strangled him. All that he could do was stay in bed. He grabbed the fleece blanket that was slung over the back of his chair, wrapping it around his broad shoulders. He kicked his boots off, deciding that perhaps he would just avoid every thing for the rest of the evening.

It didn't seem Rey was going to allow him to do that, as he heard the creak of the passageway door. He sat up, still concerned that it might not be her, relieved when he saw that it was. She looked tired, though he could gain no more insight to her status just by looking at her. She'd donned a plain cloth gray dress which had a large skirt. There were small details on it, but it was strangely bereft of any of the glitter he'd gotten used to seeing on her. Her hair was curled and pinned, and he thought she looked rather girlish in the ensemble.

"Your highness," She murmured, giving a deep bow. Ben only rolled his head back on his chair, glancing at the fire again.

He could feel her studying him, and he turned to look at her once more.

"What is it?"

"Did you open the envelope?"

"No, I did not," He admitted, pulling it from somewhere on his person. He handed it over to her, watching her with curious eyes.

"Why not?" She asked, obviously stunned that he hadn't opened it.

"I thought it might be better if you opened it," He said simply, rolling his shoulders into a shrug.

"Perhaps we should..." She motioned, uncomfortable in his chamber. It did feel rather open after the close quarters of the small hideaway.

He stood slowly, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders. He grabbed an unlit candle stick, pushing the wick into the fire and lighting it before he followed her down the chilly passageway. The door was shut behind him, and he watched her shadow strike out in front of him - the sway of her skirt and the occasional puff of chilly air that unsettled her hair. He fought the urge to reach out and draw her hair away from her neck, distracting himself instead with dragging his fingertips along the rough walls of the passageway.

When they were safely hidden away, Ben set the candle stick on the desk so that she could see the letter. He watched her handle it, noting the seal on the parchment, though he did not recognize it. It looked like a moth. She peeled the wax away and opened the letter, finding a few other documents fell out, having been contained in the letter. She read it out loud: _M'lady, here is the information you requested...all I could find of it anyway - T._ They began looking through the logs and receipts, finding that they weren't the easiest to decipher. Rose had circled the three blades she had sold recently.

Ben's brow dropped curiously as he examined the documents.

"I don't recognize any of these names," He muttered. "Is it possible they're false?"

"Maybe," Rey said, sighing in a frustrated manner. Both of them had obviously been expecting that there was going to be an obvious answer in this information - an answer that would wrap everything up nicely for them. "Don't you have a library here that holds the information of all of the kingdom's patrons?"

"Yes, but it was my father's job," He admitted, remembering the hope that giving his father something useful to do might keep him from being a devil's plaything. "They've been poorly kept," Ben admitted.

"It would be a good place to start," She admitted. "Can we get there?"

"What, right now?"

"Yes, why not?"

"What if we get caught?"

"Well, then...we make something up,"

Right. Ben was learning how to 'make something up' quite well.

* * *

Full of many good tropes I hope you'll enjoy. sometimes I think this is dumb, so encouragement/feedback really helps! share if you like this. annnd enjoy. :)


	7. Chapter 7

"Don't put your shoes on," She said as he moved to retrieve them. "You're loud enough as it is,"

He dropped the blanket down into the chair - she was right, his skills certainly didn't lay in the art of sneaking. The halls were chilly, and they had to peek out a few times before they were sure they would not be caught out by one of the servants. Ben kept up with her, but every so often she stopped their movements to watch as someone rounded the corner. Ben was afraid they might run into Luke, though he couldn't imagine what his uncle would be doing out and about at this time of night. What if he went back to Rey's rooms and found her gone?

He couldn't feel his feet by the time they managed to slide into the Palace library. Ben had often offered up a suggestion to have this place guarded, and was glad at that moment that his mother had ignored it. It was dark, and Rey seemed to think it should remain that way, but he was honestly unsure how they were supposed to find anything. He lead her to where he last remembered the censuses being, finding that they were out of order and a few were missing. He wondered if they would find any information at all - but Rey obviously didn't intend to stick around in the library. She found the letters that she could find, pulling out whole sections of the book with a loud tearing noise that caused Ben to squeeze his eyes shut and then open them to look around and see if anyone had heard them.

He didn't care so much about the books, it was obvious the last time someone had looked at them had probably been his father, all those years ago. She folded the papers she had found, and Ben began to help, looking for specific letters and tearing out entire chunks. Once they had gotten what they could, they folded up the papers and crept out of the library. Ben tried to close the door silently, but the wind caught it and forced it to slam shut. They both stood, straight up and still, looking around in the dark to see if anyone would come looking after the noise.

Someone did.

Unfortunately, it became immediately clear that it was good old Uncle Luke, interested in whatever noise that just loudly rung out in the hallway. Ben had to think he wasn't in his rooms, since he had a whole set of them on the outside of the palace, and there would have been no way that he would have heard it from there - much less make himself known so quickly. Ben realized that they didn't have time for the both of them to get away unscathed, so he motioned for Rey to go, mouthing the word furiously until she seemed to understand and accept what he was saying. She crept silently along the hall before disappearing into the dark. He didn't hear her at all, and he did his best to make himself look as if he was meant to be there.

"Ben," Luke said, jovially, carrying a candle with him. Ben realized how odd it looked that he did not have one. "I was in your mothers' room, I thought I heard..."

"Apologies, uncle," Ben shrugged the blanket around his shoulders. Luke looked at his bare feet curiously. "I couldn't sleep, I thought to grab a book,"

"And yet you have no book?" Luke questioned, looking him over.

"I couldn't find anything to interest me," Ben said quickly. Lying came easily once he had gotten the hang of it. Whether or not he was yet good at it was another matter entirely.

"Well, why don't you come by tomorrow and you can have a look at my library...for those restless nights," Luke reached out, patting Ben on the shoulder a few times before directing him back into the direction of his own chambers. "And try to get some rest, nephew,"

Ben wondered if he was up to something, and if he had been Rey, he might have followed him back to wherever he was. Luke watched him, however, all the way down the hallway. There would be no going back until Ben was locked away in his chamber. Luke wanted to make sure of it, obviously, and each time Ben looked back he saw the small glow of the candle flickering there - growing distant the farther he got. Ben tried his chamber, hoping against hope that it hadn't been locked. It swung open, and he was sure he had Rey to thank for it.

He looked for her, his brow dipping curiously when he realized she wasn't there. Where had she gone? He started, startled, when he heard the door creak open. He turned swiftly, though he let out a sigh when he realized that it was her.

"What did you say?"

"That I was looking for something to read because I couldn't sleep,"

"Did it seem like he believed you?"

"I have no idea," Ben said earnestly. "It's odd that he even heard it,"

"Finn is still with your mother, right?"

"Yes," Ben said simply, before tugging the pages they'd torn from the census out of his cloak. He handed them to her. "I'm tired," His voice was dismissive, maybe. "I would like to sleep,"

"We really should..." She ventured.

"I'm tired," He repeated, motioning for her to take the slips of paper. "If you want to look at these tonight, feel free, but I'm going to bed,"

She took them in hand and looked down at them, looking a bit like a bruised petal. Ben found it hard to stand his ground, especially when it was so rare for her to look that way.

"I'll stay with you," She finally said.

"That's not necessary,"

"Ben," She said firmly, looking at the expression on his face. "Prince Organa," She corrected, though he had not told her to do so. "I really think it is,"

"Fine, you can take the bed," He didn't have the gumption to continue arguing with her at that moment.

"Oh, no, I can sleep out here,"

"Take the bed, Rey," He finally said, hopeful that once he might override her stubbornness. "There are enough fine apparatus' in there for me to sleep on," Perhaps there was no need for him to be such a gentleman, but he did it anyway. Maybe he had a vague chance of irritating her.

She agreed, finally, with a brief nod of her head - a loosened curl falling into her face, which she pushed back behind her ear. Ben watched the motion with more intensity than was probably necessary.

He opened the heavy oak doors that lead into the offshoot that was his bedroom. It was obvious he hadn't slept in the bed in a few days, though it was freshly made and new bedding was put on it. The corners were folded and tucked expertly, and the black bedding had a brocade sheen on it. Around the bed there was a canopy, though Ben hardly let it down and it remained tied to the posts with heavy silver corded rope. The curtains were drawn, also heavy black things that blocked out the sunlight. She didn't seem surprised at the finery of the chamber, stopping near the bed to let her fingers drift along the blanket.

She seemed to be having second thoughts.

"Maybe I should go back to my chambers,"

"Fine," Ben said, wondering at her sudden inability to make a decision. It had struck her like an illness out of nowhere.

He slung the blanket across one of the divans that were stretched out in the room, dark gray in color with curling silver-wood claws for legs. The room was sumptuous, but it was cold and sterile. There was no warmth in it at all. It seemed to display his loneliness quite obviously, despite how oblivious he was to the fact.

"This is an awful room," She finally said, glancing at him and wrapping her arms around herself.

"Are you going to stay, or are you going to go?"

He un-tucked his shirt from his breeches, letting it hang loose around his middle. There was a deep 'V' in the linen, which revealed the smooth planes of his chest and the black hair there, though not to an overwhelming degree. Like that, it was easy to remember that he was just a man. She looked him over, pressing her lips together.

"We can share the bed," She suddenly blurted out, her face turning red at the realization. "I mean, this room, it's creepy. No wonder you never want to sleep in here," She admitted. "And the bed is big enough for a family of six, at least,"

"I've never had anyone offer so smoothly before," He said, smirking as he brushed past her. He hadn't meant to flirt with her, per say, but perhaps just make her a smidgen more befuddled. He could almost see her roll her eyes through the back of her head.

* * *

Ben woke up alone.

Rey must have crept out a few hours before the servants woke and began with their duties, but Ben was thankful for it, considering that he didn't want to have to try and explain why she was in his bed to anyone - especially because most of them would most likely jump to the most nefarious reason. Ben realized he had no desire to leave his bed, but he forced himself to get up anyway. He grabbed a heavy black robe, slinging it over his frame before heading out into the sitting room of his chambers. Someone had left him food, and a pot of coffee that still steamed. He wondered who had left it, but when he saw a note left by Rey, the mystery was solved. He wanted to trust that he could eat it, but he merely read the message she left, leaving the food where it lay.

He found his way back into his bedroom, falling front first into his bed and falling back to sleep.

He woke again, much later. He had slept the entire day away. He was reminded, acutely, of the absence of his mother, who would not have allowed him to sleep all day. He felt as he had when he was a boy and he'd napped too long, waking up with sleep in his eyes and the inescapable feeling that a heavy object had just rammed full force into his body. It was the sort of grogginess that he felt he couldn't easily shake off, and he decided that a cold wash of water might help shock him awake.

He undressed, leaving his clothing piled behind him - and disappeared into his bathroom. The water in the large brass tub was icy cold, having been drawn some time earlier by someone. He settled into it, releasing a gasp of air as he reached for the over sized carafe, pouring the icy cold water over his head. It was a shock - the chill almost painful, but he did it again. The second time it wasn't so bad, however he didn't wish to linger. He washed quickly and shook his hair out like a dog before pushing it back away from his features, still inky and slick. He dried off as best he could, pulling on a clean pair of breeches before he pulled the same heavy robe over his shoulders, allowing it to hang open. He rubbed the towel in his hair, distracted as he came through the door and then startled as he realized Rey was standing there.

"You don't knock anymore?" He asked, tossing the towel on one of the nearby pieces of furniture.

"You wouldn't have heard me," Her eyes dropped to his middle, but quickly found his face again. She looked angry.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Can you cover up?" She said, and Ben was unsure if it was irritation or something else that prompted the request.

"Suddenly shy?" He asked, although he admitted to himself that he was just trying to get under her skin, just a bit. She often seemed so unaffected by him. He was just a brat prince she was trying to keep alive, for some reason.

"I took a look at the pages we ripped," She said, blowing right past his question. He was a bit disappointed, but he didn't linger on it, instead choosing to sit down in front of the dim fire which had likely been burning all day.

"And?" He asked, though she seemed uninterested in giving him an answer right away.

"You missed our session today," She said, offhandedly.

Ben remained silent, looking at her curiously.

"What are you doing, Ben? You can't just avoid your responsibilities,"

His brow dipped, wondering what she meant.

"What responsibilities?"

"Well, our session, for one. And I'm sure you're not free of duty," She sulked. He wondered, somehow, if Leia had told her about passing the stone on.

"You're angry," He murmured, almost surprised at it. "You must be as exhausted as I am," He finally said. "No one would fault you for taking the day off,"

"That isn't-" She sighed, as if unsure of how to express herself. "I worried,"

"You don't have to worry about keeping me alive," He murmured. "I've managed to stay alive all these years,"

"Dumb luck," She muttered. "You have a bad record,"

Ben was sure he looked a little dumbstruck, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open just a bit. He was surprised. Twice in one night, it was a new record.

"What?" She finally asked.

"Tell me what you found," He said after a few moments, deciding just to move past it.

"One of the names wasn't there at all," She said. "One of them is deceased, or so the records said. It's possible someone just borrowed the name, so I copied down the last known address just in case," She handed the paper over to Ben. "This caught my attention, though," She pointed to one of the names that she'd circled. Juniper Barre.

"I don't recognize this name,"

"No, I didn't either until I looked at this," She handed over another scrap of paper, scrawled out in her hand. "Look who she works for,"

"Brendol Hux," Ben thought that this just kept getting better, and better.

"Isn't that your strategists' father?" She asked, inquisitively.

"Yes, unfortunately,"

Each experience that he'd had with Hux's father had been more unpleasant than the last, which gave him much clarity on why Hux always looked as if he was smelling something bad. He spoke with vinegar in his tone and he never had anything kind to say to anyone. Ben did not seek kindness from him - he made an excellent strategist, after all. Rey looked as if she was waiting for him to say more about it, but he was thoughtful for a few moments longer.

"He's having a masque," Ben said, in an exasperated fashion. He already knew that they would end up there somehow.

"That's perfect," She said. "It will be busy, we might be able to see what we can find out,"

"What do you intend to do? Walk in there and begin asking if anyone's heard of her?"

"It's...not a bad idea," She said, having moved to sit in the chair across from him.

"He will most certainly recognize me,"

"Even in a mask?"

"Most likely," Ben folded the papers up, handing them back over to her. "What would Brendol Hux have to do with all of this?" He asked, more to himself than Rey.

"He knows Luke," She murmured, quietly, confidently.

"The masque is in a few days. It doesn't give us much time,"

"Worried about your garb?"

"Yes, obviously," Ben paused, unable to help his small smile. "And you're not?"

"Just don't show up like that," Ben read disgust in it, and realized she was not flirting with him.

* * *

That night, Rey agreed to allow him to sleep alone in his chambers. Ben could tell she was angry with him, but for the life of him he couldn't work out any real reason in it. He couldn't imagine that she was that worried about him, but it was hard to say for sure. When he woke up the next morning, he found that he finally felt rested, and that everything in his room seemed undisturbed. While he dressed he realized he might be avoiding everything, as he decided he would disappear into the woods that day, just as he had when he was a boy.

Rey had told him that they needed to work up a plan, but Ben didn't even know what they were looking for anymore. The blade that came from the girl who had poisoned herself apparently worked for Brendol, but Ben wondered if that was just pure coincidence. If not, it certainly felt a bit like they were being lead, and whoever was responsible for all of this was two steps ahead of them. As a boy, Ben had found comfort in the forest, it was quiet and he often imagined there were fairies following him - but after he'd been poisoned, the forest seemed to become sinister to him. At first, he told himself he stayed away because he worried his mother - but as he grew he realized it was because he didn't want to run the risk of seeing Wildflower again. She was stuck in his head increasingly these days, and each time he saw her, he saw Rey.

Ben dressed simply, hoping to avoid any undue attention. He took a blade with him, one that was hidden in his tall boot. The cloak he wore was of a simple gray cloth, and he did his best to look the part of a simple wayfarer. He had gotten used to sneaking out of the palace, considering how little he wanted to be seen by anyone there. When the fresh air filled his lungs and the sunlight hit his face, he quickly disappeared into the beyond, keeping as cognizant as he could about someone possibly following him. When he thought he was in the clear, he ducked into the woods.

It was dark, moody with overhanging trees that blocked out the sunlight, only allowing it to peek through here and there. He didn't know what he was doing there, or why he was driven to visit, but he walked on anyway - a familiar path. He became less anxious as he walked on, feeling the fog of the previous few days lifting with the physical exertion and the fresh air. He felt light, even.

It didn't last long, as something came on him in a blur - knocking him full force in his gut and causing him to buckle onto his knees. He fell to his side, seeing stars. He was rolled over, and felt the weight of someone atop him. When his vision cleared, he realized it was Rey.

"What are you d-" He nearly shouted, though she clamped her gloved hands down on his mouth, leaning down into his face to stay hidden and silent.

Ben struggled, and she dug her knees into his side, tightening around him like a snake and trying to keep him from thrashing. It became apparent she was worried about someone finding them, and Ben listened, shaking his face free of her hands so that he could keep breathing. It was silent for a few long moments before he could hear someone moving through the brush, a muted conversation being had.

"Where did he go?"

"I don't know, we've been circling for an hour,"

"He's usually pretty obvious..."

Ben didn't recognize either of their voices, but they sounded young. Like boys who had yet to hit puberty. More assassins? Whoever meant to kill him obviously didn't think very highly of him. They stayed that way for what seemed like a very long time, listening intently - though their footsteps and voices eventually faded. The longer they stayed that way, the more aware of Rey he became, her hair hanging down into his face and smelling of amber and lavender. She was dressed for sparring, and Ben remembered that he'd missed the session again - and he also realized she'd been following him.

He wondered how many people, exactly, were following him.

When Rey relaxed a bit, he took the opportunity to knee her in her abdomen. She groaned, loudly, and he was able to flip them so that he was atop of her - her back connecting with the ground roughly. She gave another grunt, and looked up at him with pure frustration. He tried to keep her from struggling, but she was scrappier than he often gave her credit for, and she kneed him in the groin (again).

He found himself rolling off to the side, though he recovered as quickly as he could, both of them scrabbling around in the leaves as they tried to get away from one another. Ben stood, having drawn the dagger from his boot. He took a stance that she'd taught him, and she almost laughed at him - but managed to hold it back.

"What are you going to do, kill me?" She asked, though Ben could see her dropping into her familiar stance.

"I'm tired of this," He said simply. "I want you to tell me what's going on. You've been following me, I want to know why,"

"Someone tried to kill you, and your mother!" She said, trying to skirt past him. "Isn't that reason enough?"

"You know more!" He shouted back, though as she tried to skirt around him, he swiped out. His blade caught cloth, though not fruitlessly, as he watched her cloak fall down into the leaves with a thump. Her breast heaved, the leather corset she wore dipping frightfully low.

He didn't have much time for triumph, as he watched her face shift from mildly annoyed to thoroughly annoyed. She huffed out a puff of air, giving an irritated groan before she came after him, spinning around and knocking his legs out underneath him. What followed was a thoroughly graceless tumble through dead leaves and loam; causing Ben to lose hold of the dagger. They both watched it sail into the brush before they both began scrambling for it. They were like children, trying to stop one another by every means they had, grabbing onto limbs and clothes. They ended up rifling through a pile of detritus, hidden behind a large fallen oak.

Neither of them had a chance to retrieve it, as both of them heard the boys rustling back through the brush. Rey hurriedly came close to him, clamping her hand around his mouth (again), and bringing her finger up to hers to shush him. They became dead silent, their eyes panicked as they both looked at the cloak they'd left behind in the dirt. It was as if neither of them drew breath as they waited for the boys to pass again, one of them agreeing that they should head back, and keep an eye for when Ben exited the forest. When the sounds became distant, and then non-existent, they both took a deep breath. Ben had ended up with his back against the rotting oak, and Rey was nearly in his lap, her knees between his as she covered his mouth and leaned over him.

They were both breathing heavily, and it was then the only sound that accompanied them. They realized how close in proximity they were, breath intermingling and bodies touching. Ben became abruptly aware of how warm she was, and how her familiar scent washed over him. They looked at each other with open gazes, both of them seeming to question: what next?

When sanity returned to both of them, they scrambled away from each other - the suddenness of it causing her to knock her head briefly on one of the reaching branches. They caught their breath in full distance from one another, trying to avoid any sort of thought at all. Ben wiped his face, watching her for a few moments after he caught his breath.

"If you want me to go to this masque with you, I want to know who you are," He retrieved the blade, seeing it glinting in the loam. "If you can't tell me who you are, you should pack your things and leave tomorrow,"

"Of course you would send your only ally away," She said, almost disgusted with him. "You really are terrible at 'thank yous'," She muttered.

Bed had a feeling he already knew who she was - but he wanted her to tell him.

* * *

Rey didn't want to go back to the palace. She didn't think it was safe, and she promised him she would tell him what she could. He wasn't sure he believed her, but he followed her anyway. Obviously, if she had wanted to kill him, she'd had plenty of opportunity to do so - but he had to wonder what was in this for her. They moved deeper into the forest. The more he followed her, the more he was sure of who she was. It grew chilly, and dark, and Ben wondered just how long they'd been out there. He wondered if anyone might notice he was gone - but he hadn't time to think of that right then. He thought of the wildflowers weaved up in a girls' hair as he watched Rey's back, her own having fallen out of the complicated knotting she often tied it in. He thought of the putrid taste of muckberry wine, and the first time he had ever had a friend.

They came on an old stone cottage with rattle leaf strangling it - it was pretty but poisonous, and grew out it's deep purple leaves, attempting to consume whatever was in it's path. The cottage was dark, but it was obviously well tended. Someone had been living here, recently. He watched her unlock the door with a heavy brass key she kept hidden in her pocket, and light a few candles, dousing the place with warm, yellow light.

It was homey, decorated comfortably with florals and deep, rich colors that reminded Ben of the sun in the spring. There were dried flowers behind glass hung up on the walls, and a few simply made pieces of furniture washed in a sort of greenish hue. There was a desk, a few book cases, and a table with chairs. There was a small fireplace that stood empty, and in front of it, framed out in a square, was a deep red couch that looked well loved. There were two arm chairs to accompany it, one having an ottoman in front of it like a loyal dog.

Ben had to duck to get inside, and he found the kitchen was hung with drying flowers, obviously being mixed into potions and sold. Was this her place? Was she as fond of botany as he was? He stood, awkwardly tall in a small cottage, watching her move around as if it was home. She removed the torn cloak and hung it aside, reaching out in an offer to take his. He pulled it off and handed it to her, watching her hang it beside her own. It was surreal, in some way.

"Do you want something to eat?"

"No," Ben said shortly.

"Come on, Ben. You hardly eat," She handed him an apple glowing golden in the low light. He shook his head. She rolled her eyes, taking a bite out of it and chewing, as if to prove that there was nothing wrong with the fruit. She handed out another one, which he took, hesitantly, in his glove clad hand. "Have a seat,"

"What is this place?"

"It's where I lived before I came to live in the palace," She admitted. "My parents lived here, before they died,"

"What killed them?"

"Blight," She said, in a matter of fact tone.

"Do you remember them?" He took a seat in one of the arm chairs, finding that he sunk into it.

"Not really," She said, banging around in the kitchen. She was right, this place was much more comfortable than his chambers had ever been.

"You like botany," He said, offhandedly, still looking around the place.

"Will you light the fire? It will get cold," She said. It was probably the first time she'd requested something of him, instead of just demanding it. He did was he was asked, and after a few minutes there was a fire blazing in the hearth - though the fireplace smoked a bit.

When she was finished, she came out with two steaming mugs of what looked like amber tea. Ben moved to decline it, and she took a sip from both mugs. He was almost one-hundred percent sure he knew who she was, then. He had thought of meeting her again, many times. What would she say to him? Would she apologize? Would she say anything at all?

"I'm here under the assumption that you're going to tell me who you are,"

"You know who I am, Ben," She murmured, taking a sip of her tea. "You've known since the first day you saw me again,"

Perhaps it was true.

"You tried to kill me," He said, matching her matter of fact tone. "Why should I believe that isn't what you're doing now?"

"I thought I'd made it obvious that wasn't what I was doing. I've had plenty of opportunity," She admitted.

"What's in this for you? Why did he bring you here?"

"I don't know, Ben. I know as much about his motives as you do,"

"I don't believe you," He said, setting the tea aside, along with the apple. "Tell me the reasoning he gave you,"

"He said it was because you needed looking after," She said. "He wanted me to seduce you," She finally coughed out, looking intently into her tea. "And report back to him on your activities. He said you were the least of his problems, but he needed to know what you were doing. He never instructed me to kill you,"

Ben laughed, unable to help himself. What a fool he had been. Perhaps if he hadn't been so conflicted he might have seen through it, perhaps he had seen through it and merely ignored it. There was one crucial thing he was denying to himself - he had wanted her around.

"And what of the wine?" He finally asked, glancing back to her. "What about that?"

"Ben," She said, looking up to him with her wide brown eyes, fringed with dark lashes. She looked so trustworthy, even then. "You have to understand...he was the only father I've ever known," She looked down, a tear sliding evenly down her cheek. "He told me it wouldn't kill you," She said. "He told me you were sick, and you needed help,"

So it was true then, Uncle Luke had been trying to kill him. Which meant that Uncle Luke was likely responsible for his mother being poisoned.

"What changed your mind?"

"Your mother, of course," She said. "He promised me he wouldn't hurt her,"

"So if you know all of this, why not just confront him with it?"

"I did," She said, reaching up to her face where the bruise had been a few days earlier. "He's well protected. Most everyone on your council is indebted to him in some way - most everyone in the palace. He's got more in mind than just killing you, Ben, and I don't know what that is. We need proof if we're going to make any attempt to stop him, as of right now it's all conjecture...and who would believe me?"

Ben wasn't sure that he did.

"I don't see any reason to trust you," He admitted. "You tried to kill me,"

"I didn't know what I was doing," She said, looking at him hopefully. "You have to believe that, at least. You know that he's up to something, I know you do,"

He remained silent, looking at the fire.

"Ben," She leaned forward. "You could be a good king," Her voice was soft. "And a good man. I've seen it in you,"

"You were my first and only friend," He said simply. She looked pained, as if he'd slapped her.

"After it happened, I waited every day for you," She said, swallowing back tears. "Until he told me you were very sick, and you weren't coming back," She reached up, wiping at a tear. "It wasn't until later that I made the connection. When he told me you'd lived...well, that was the only reason I let him talk me into this whole heinous thing. I wanted to see you again,"

Ben thought she sounded genuine, but he couldn't tell. Maybe this was all part of their big plan, making him feel as if he had an in with her, as if she was on his side. Ben looked at the tea, which was cooling quickly in the chilly night, and thought briefly of just leaving it all behind. How far would he get? Could he stand leaving his mother like that?

He decided he couldn't, and maybe if she was his line for Luke - perhaps she could be his line to Luke, as well. He could send her away, it would have been the smart thing to do, but when Ben was presented with a nest of vipers he often stuck his hand right into the middle of it.

"Fine," He finally murmured. "We go to this masque, and I'll give you a year," He said. "I'll give you a year to find out whatever it is you want to find out. If I find that you've been lying again, and you're still his creature, you'll have twenty-four hours to leave this place before I see your head roll," It was abrupt, and he wasn't sure he meant it. He could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't sure either.

She nodded her head, and reached out her hand. He removed his glove, allowing fingertips to brush before he shook it.

The deal was then struck.

* * *

huehuehue are you surprised that luke is the bad guy? woops. hope you're still enjoying! follow/share/comment if you are! i appreciate aaalll the feedback.


	8. Chapter 8

They spent that night trying to hammer out details, avoiding the awkward topic and the sudden realization that maybe, just maybe, they had cared for one another more than the other had thought. It was agreed that Rey would continue on as she had before, and pretend as if nothing had happened. Ben felt that they had already alerted Uncle Luke to enough of their odd behavior. She tried to convince him it was better that she stay in his chambers at night, but Ben felt like it was too risky. It seemed better to continue on meeting in the small little chamber where they'd created a sort of study than to run the risk of his uncle finding them there, together.

Rey seemed to think that it might not be bad, considering that it was what Luke wanted - for Rey to seduce him. Still, he doubted it would be effective enough to warrant the difficulty. The only way that it might be allowed is if they were married, and Ben laughed at the idea and asked her if she was serious when she brought it up. _It wouldn't be permanent_., was all she could say, and the subject was dropped.

Ben felt the need to tell her that his mother had passed on the stone to him, which effectively meant that he was king. It might have been the wine, or it might have been the need to be honest - but she thought on it for a few long moments before she spoke to him again. She looked fuzzy, soft and warm , and Ben was sure that was most definitely the wine. He'd only had a bit of it, but apparently he had done himself a disservice in not building up a tolerance to it. Most young men his age could drink him under the table, without any doubt.

"I think you should act on it," She finally said. "Take the stone to them, tell them what she said, that way if she..." Rey paused, frowning. Ben didn't need her to finish the sentence.

"If she dies," He said, abruptly.

"Yes, then, you might have more of a chance of taking back some control. It might be harder for him to kill you,"

"But if it's the throne he wants, it will only paint a bigger target on my back,"

"But it might buy us some time. He certainly won't be expecting it,"

Ben had to guess she was right, but his thoughts were too fuzzy to really give any meaningful input. He glanced back to the now low burning fire, and he could feel her watching him. He looked back at her, and they sat like that for a few moments, simply examining each other. Finally she stood up, removing the blanket she'd draped around her shoulders and sliding it over his broad ones. She leaned down, brushing a brief kiss to his temple. It shocked him so much that he looked up at her, eyes wide. It was a simple, affectionate gesture, but it seemed far more than anything he'd experienced before.

"You look tired," She said, clearing her throat. "The couch is comfortable,"

Ben felt wonderfully comfortable, as if he could stay this way forever. He folded himself up on the couch and fell asleep almost immediately.

Ben woke some time later, the golden sun causing him to wake, blinking against it. She'd pushed the curtains open at some point, making the cottage warm and bright. Ben thought that he could likely curl up in the sun and sleep the day away, but he knew that there were items to be taken care of. He could no longer sleep his days away.

They had decided that the masque was their first priority, so when Ben woke up he made his way stolidly back to the Palace. Rey had beaten him there, already in the courtyard running through drills with some of the new guards she had brought on. She was still filling out the ranks, but those that she had brought on looked capable, if not a bit dodgy. He wouldn't have expected anything less from her. He came in through the side gate, and if he'd been paying more attention he might have avoided his father - who he nearly ran over in his sleepy (and probably hungover) haste.

His father smelled the wine on his breath and laughed, patting him roughly onto the back and barking out something about how it was 'damn time'. Ben looked at him in that blank way, and Han stared back. It was always like this - they simply had no idea what to say to one another.

"Have a big breakfast," Han said, nudging ever more. "Who was she?"

Ben looked at him, blinking a few times.

"No, you're right, there's no one in their right mind who would sleep with you, no matter how drunk she was,"

Han found this hilarious, and Ben only wrapped his cloak around him like a blanket before stepping aside. If Leia were there, she would've gritted her jaw and told him to shut up, and he would have listened (for the most part). It seemed almost surreal that he and his son should be so different. Ben heard the heckling at his back as he made his way back into his chamber to brush his teeth and clean up, dressing for the day. He had learned a long time ago that trying to defend himself against his father was a bit like herding cats.

He still didn't trust eating within the palace, but he swallowed back a piece of bread and a cup of very black coffee before he went about what he'd been tasked to do. Rey wanted a map, and Ben thought he could give a rather decent one from memory - however he was going to have to try and fill in the details. Hux would be immediately suspicious of his asking, so he was going to have to try and get creative in getting the details. He thought he could ask Luke, but he didn't know if he was good enough at masking his intentions from him just yet.

In the days leading up to the masque, they met at night and tried to fill in the details as best they could with whatever information they had gleaned. By the end of the third night, they had a fairly good working idea of what Brendol's manse looked like. It was large, but Ben was thankful that they would not be navigating something the size of his own palace. They kept up with the charade, doing their best to pretend as if nothing had happened - ignoring the significance of the conversation they'd shared. They were moving along with instinct, focused on a goal, and for now it was the best that either of them could do. When they sparred, Ben could tell that she was distracted, but with what he couldn't wheedle out of her. They never missed a session, though.

The night of the masquerade came upon them much more quickly than they would have liked. It seemed they barely had time to make any sort of a plan, and Ben was sure much of it was going to be pure luck and haphazard. Ben stood in front of his full length mirror that night, the servants tugging and yanking and adjusting until he was dressed finely in something that was suitable enough for a party. He was wearing a deep green jacket that was long and fitted; and it was the sort of green that resembled a bug's carapace that glinted different colors in the light. Underneath, a shimmering black vest that buttoned over a fine white shirt. They hadn't been able to talk him into stockings and heeled shoes, but he'd been forced into a pair of tight fitting leather breeches and shiny, knee high leather boots that were decked out with gold buttons. Atop his coiffed, black hair rested a thorny crown, gold to match. The mask he had chosen was a blank, young face - that of a young prince in a play. His cloak was pinned at his shoulders with golden buttons, flung back. When he walked, it swept at the ankles of his boots.

Rey had told him she would meet him there. She had said it was better than risking Luke seeing what she was wearing before she left the palace.

The carriage ride was a lonely one, and he felt awkward all dressed up, only to show up at a masque alone and with no real intention but to allow Rey a sort of diversion so she could sneak around the manse (hopefully) unnoticed. The carriage deposited him at the front of the manse where people were milling about and dragging their friends through the luxurious front door. Everything was lit with sparkling candles, and there were so many of them that Ben wondered at a fire hazard briefly before he slid his mask onto his features and made his way inside. He was forced to reveal his identity right away, when the doorman simply announced him. He supposed it was difficult to really hide who he was in these circles. He hoped Rey had had more luck.

He didn't expect to see her, and therefore when he turned his eyes towards the winding staircase, glittering with the warm light - almost crowded with the couples milling around it, he was surprised when he did. He knew her immediately, even though he could tell it was one grand mystery to those in the room. He was glad his face was hidden, he wouldn't be able to keep himself from looking stunned.

The dress must have been hand made, but he couldn't imagine how she'd found it in such a short period of time (unless she'd been holding onto it for just this sort of occasion). It was millions of layer of gauzy material in the deepest blue he had ever seen, cinched at the waist and then exploding into a full skirt, and it really did glitter like the stars. He was beginning to notice a theme. The 'V' of it dipped low on her chest, and a sparkling bit of crystal hung low on a chain against her skin, drawing the eye downward. Her hair was curled and left down, framing the glittering mask she had chosen to cover her face. Her eyes she could not mask, and Ben knew them right away.

The whole room turned to look at her, almost as stunned as Ben himself appeared to be.

She surprised him again by making her way through the onlookers towards him. They had agreed that they would avoid one another to try and avoid detection, so he wanted to move out of her path but found that he couldn't. He was held in sway, as if he was trying to avoid being stung by a snake. The entire room still looked on as she bowed low, her gown pooling out around her before she stood up again.

"A dance, my lord?" Her voice was husky, muffled with the mask.

He couldn't very well turn her down with all of these people looking at him, but he hoped that this time, it wouldn't end with a knee to his groin. He held his arm out and she placed her hand atop his forearm, and they made their way to the dance floor - people moving out of their way as if they carried an invisible bubble around them.

They moved out to stand in front of one another, taking the position much they had the night they'd first danced. He slid a hand at her waist, glad for his gloves making it nearly impossible to feel the warmth of her, and she rested her hand within his as they extended their arms outward.

The sound of the cello was mournful, it's timbre drawing out and putting a pall on the room. They were still until the music picked up, but it was a pace that made them move slowly, and draw closer. Eventually, after the others were done gawking, they began to join them, couple by couple. Ben felt their presence intentionally, trying to focus on anything other than how close she was, and her familiar smell of amber and lavender.

"I thought we were meant to avoid each other," He murmured, whispering into her ear as if they might be lovers.

"I don't know what you're talking about, my lord," She replied, her voice dipping dangerously low.

He rolled his eyes, seeing that she was going to tease him. Ben was happy not to speak about her plan, what he was meant to do, and where Luke was to be. His mind went blank after days of planning, and he simply allowed himself to focus on the low pitch of the cello, reminding him vaguely of chocolate melting. If she was to tease, he felt the need to tease in return. He grasped her tightly, pulling her more firmly against his frame than he might have dared if it were any other night. She gasped, obviously surprised by it.

"You'll have tongues wagging," She warned, though she didn't push back against him to regain the distance.

"And only myself to blame,"

The pace of the music picked up, and they were forced to move in sweeping circles, keeping up with the rest of the couples as they swished and moved around them. It was different, this time, and he was no longer fearful she was going to leave him in a ball on the dance floor. They might have danced all night if it weren't for the sudden announcement of his uncle, forcing her to peel herself away from him after the dance ended. It was brief, all too brief, and he found himself standing alone on the dance floor, watching her disappear into the crowd after whispering that he should meet her in the study in an hour. She didn't even leave a shoe behind.

* * *

Ben found he was in no shortage of willing partners. He didn't even really have to ask, as he was asked. Some of them he recognized, girls he'd known as a boy who had turned their noses up at him, perhaps because he'd been a rather unremarkable boy who was now somewhat of a remarkable Prince. There were even girls he'd had crushes on as a boy, but could never quite manage to speak to without risking sweaty palms and breaks in his voice.

The dancing was unremarkable, nothing close to Rey, but it gave him a good excuse to avoid his uncle for as long as possible. He was privy to all sorts of gossip he found himself completely uninterested in. There were girls who talked a great deal, and girls who talked very little. Some of them stepped on his feet, and some it seemed lead him instead of vice versa. Each time he spun or was spun, he caught Luke out of the corner of his eye, lurking somewhere out of reach but obviously keeping an eye on his nephew. This was out of character for Ben, and he knew that once Luke sunk his claws into him he was going to have to find an excuse to feed to him as to why he was even there.

Hux wasn't even there.

The last girl he danced with he hadn't even been paying attention to until she mentioned that she believed something strange was going on in the manse that night. She also mentioned something about Brendol, but when he pushed her for more details, she deferred. Eventually, the musicians had to break - and Ben was forced to find his way off of the dance floor. He didn't make it very far before he felt Luke's hand on his bicep. It had once been reassuring, but now, he wanted to peel himself away as quickly as possible.

"Ben," He said, pausing when they were some distance off from the dance floor. "I am surprised you're here," He admitted. "Usually it takes a good deal of coercion to get your interest piqued in such events," Luke plucked at a passing refreshment before depositing back again onto the tray, uninterested.

"I thought of mother," Ben blurted out, hoping that it would be believable.

He knew that Luke had to have been aware of how oddly he'd been acting. He was sure his father had told him about the wine on his breath and rolling in in the early morning looking as if he'd spent the night sleeping in a ditch.

"What of her?"

"I thought she would enjoy seeing me here," He said, taking one of the flutes of fizzy redberry wine and downing it in one gulp after having removed his mask.

"I'm sure she would, but it never seemed enough of a reason before,"

"Uncle..." Ben murmured, trying to remind him of the current state his mother was in.

"You're right, you're right of course," Luke patted him on the shoulder again. "Are any of these young ladies piquing your interest? It seems as if you've done a good deal of dancing," Luke cleared his throat. "You were never bad at it, you know. Just more interested in sword fighting,"

Ben smirked, unable to help himself. He'd actually always been more interested in dancing, but that didn't stop him from swordplay, either. His mother had often told him it was the duty of a king to be passable at both, and they were more intertwined than he had once believed them to be.

"Have you seen Brendol, uncle?"

"No, not at all," Luke looked surprised by the question.

The music started up again, and Ben wondered how he would peel himself free of the festivities to meet Rey without his uncle taking notice. The clock chimed and he realized an hour had passed, but Luke was watching him like a hawk with his intense blue eyes. He danced another dance with a quiet young lady who was so unassuming that he could barely hear her when she spoke. She had a sort of fae loveliness about her, but Ben's mind was on something else entirely.

Each time he spied Luke from his field of vision, he found that the man was watching him. Sipping wine, eating hors d'oeuvres, laughing jovially with old friends. No matter where he looked, there Luke was. He got his chance when the music stopped briefly. There was already another girl in line to dance, but he had to excuse himself as quickly as he could, unfortunately leaving her standing on the floor looking somewhat bereft.

He kept an eye out but he peeled his way through the crowd, putting his mask back on in an attempt to keep people from recognizing him as quickly. The stairs were a challenge, he didn't want anyone to see him, so he found his way back through the servants quarters where he could make his way up the stairs without being noticed. The study was on the second floor, and Ben checked the doors - cape swishing behind him before he found the one he was looking for.

Couples had broken off from the main room and drunkenly meandered here, though many of them were too distracted to notice him, and it was just quiet enough that he could slip into the study unnoticed. The room was lit sparsely, and the door had been unlocked. There she stood, masked still, glittering in the dim light. He moved closer to her, finding himself uncomfortable with her mask. It made him second guess himself. What if this wasn't her? He could not tell if she'd been rifling through documents, but the desk there hardly had anything on it.

He moved forward quickly, lifting his hands to unclasp the mask from her face. He found himself relieved as it fell away - it was her. He wanted to ask her what she'd found out, but she looked at him with her kohl lined eyes and lifted her slight chin defiantly and he found himself wondering what she was playing at. She leaned up, pressing her lips against his own. It was a brief peck, and she left behind the small taste of berries, of course, as he licked his lips. Of course she would be the one to kiss him first, if only to make him feel as if he'd been shown up.

Perhaps it was the utter strangeness of the night, but he kissed her back. It had felt like a challenge, after all. If Ben had been more in his mind, he might not have responded in such a way. This kiss lingered sweetly between closed mouths before her lips parted, her warm breath washing against his mouth. Before long her fingertips were in his hair at the nape of his neck and she had perched herself atop Brendol's desk in such a way that he could kiss her pliant mouth, each moment that ticked by drawing them closer together.

They had both collectively gone mad. This was not the place to be doing ithis/.

The moment proved them both foolish, when they heard the doorknob turning. Neither of them had thought to lock the door, and it gave them sparse seconds to disconnect from one another and dip behind shadowy corners to try and hide behind bookcases and shelves. They split up, and Ben realized they had left her mask there, glittering on the floor. They really needed to get better at this. Before the door swung open, he retrieved it, scrambling back into his hiding place with his chest heaving.

They had gone undiscovered for the moment.

"Do you have any idea what he's doing here?"

"No, I don't," Ben recognized the voice, but couldn't pin it down.

"I hope his mother hasn't alerted him to anything,"

"She didn't have time. Let's not extend this out unpleasantly. Do you have the payment?"

Ben heard shuffling, and something that sounded like a safe, but by the time he'd thought to look it was too late. The safe remained hidden.

"Thank you," One voice murmured, and Ben heard more shuffling. "You shouldn't keep your guests waiting, Brendol,"

"I'm honored by your concern," He murmured, sarcasm obvious in his voice.

Ben heard the other party leaving, but Brendol did not follow. He sat at his desk for what felt like an eternity, leaving him time to look at Rey crouched across the room in the darkness. His mind kept drifting - her lips, her hair, her warm mouth. He tried to focus on the very fact that they were quite close to being found out, but he just couldn't. It was as if he was a teenager again, and he shifted himself uncomfortably in his breeches.

Ben caught his bottom lip in his teeth as he leaned up against his bookcase. This position was growing uncomfortable, and he wished with all of his might that Brendol would leave his study. They would be extremely unlucky if the man decided to make a night of it. He caught his breath, holding it, when he heard the man get up from his chair with a creak and began moving around the room. He was looking for something, and Ben was glad he had stopped breathing when he realized just how close he was to having Brendol 'round the corner and find him there.

It was then he heard a knock which sounded as if it had come from outside of the chamber. It alerted Brendol, who moved towards the door and opened it with a latching noise. There was no one beyond, but the man was curious enough to leave his study - however, the plan grew even more unfortunate as he heard a lock turn in the door. They were trapped in here. Ben let out his breath with a loud 'whoosh', his body going lax. Rey came out into the light, looking carefully around the corner.

"There's a safe in here," She murmured.

"Of course there is," He sighed. "If there wasn't, this wouldn't have been a villains' study, right?"

Rey seemed uninterested in humoring him right then. She was upturning things and knocking pictures off of the wall in an attempt to find the safe.

"What, did you hear the code?" Ben asked, facetious.

"Shut up and help me look,"

They found the safe hidden behind a heavy vase that was painted with the bloody battle of Mandalore, and they both had to work to move it out of the way so that they could try to guess at the code. Rey tried it a few times, her ear pressed against the steel in an attempt to hear it. Finally, she pulled back.

"This isn't a safe I'm going to be able to crack," She admitted. "We'll need the code, or we'll need help,"

Ben had to wonder how she'd ended up with all of these skills, but he decided it was best not to ask.

"You expect me to come back here?" Ben asked, incredulous.

"We'll have to, I looked for an hour and found nothing. The servants aren't talking to anyone, it's as if they've closed ranks. This is the best we've got,"

"Let's get out of here," He said, hopeful she would agree. They'd wasted two hours, and Ben wasn't sure how long it would be before his uncle came looking for him.

"Help me put this back,"

Ben did what he was told. He was getting used to doing what he was told.

* * *

They were trapped in the study. Rey hadn't had a place to put her lock-picking kit after all, and they were tasked with trying to find a way out of there before Brendol came back and found them. The door was locked, and Ben hadn't had much luck in sniffing out any sort of secret passageways. He had to suppose that not all houses were like his own, though they seemed to have enough in common in the keeping of secrets. Rey, perhaps the more practical of the two of them, went for the window.

"How are we supposed to get down without breaking our necks?" Ben said, attempting to rain on her parade.

"You have legs and arms enough, don't you?"

Rey leaned up and unlatched the window, seeming pleased that it swung open. There were people in the garden, and Ben thought it rather reckless. They were likely to be found out. Rey put her mask back on, and instructed he do the same, though he was hopeful there wouldn't be rumor of the Prince scaling the wall of the manse the next morning.

"Just get down as quickly as you can," Rey instructed.

Ben scaled the wall, using the iron decoration that sprawled the house to keep himself from falling down into the garden below. He was thankful for it, and when he found his feet he found he was relieved. Rey came down after him, but instead of scaling the wall, she shouted out something he didn't catch before he realized she was plummeting to the earth. He caught her, feeling the wind almost knocked out of him. He set her onto her feet, and she had a bit of bounce in her step. She was enjoying this far too much.

She pulled him into the dark, and he felt like he was slipping. He was slipping into darkness, he was slipping too far into her pull - he was just slipping. He felt the loss of control on his senses quite keenly, though he couldn't find it in himself to resist her. For the moment, they were merely a couple who had escaped into the Garden to steal a private moment away from prying eyes. Her hand was wrapped around his and she looked back at him, her face that mixture of amusement and mischief.

When they came close to being discovered by passing revelers, she pulled him into the dark and he was reminded of how it had felt to kiss her, how it had felt to have her kiss him. This was the girl who had tried to poison him. This was the girl who had almost succeeded in poisoning him.

She was more dangerous than he could ever be.

Finally, when they were a good distance away from the party, she turned to look at him, her hand still in his.

"You should go back," She finally said.

"Why?"

"So Luke won't wonder where you've gone," She said, and he was reminded of the fact that he didn't want to alert his uncle to any of this.

"You're right," He released her hand, glad to find a reason to do so. Not because it wasn't enticing, but because it was just that.

"You should stay until he goes," She said, dropping her own hand to her side.

"Right," He said awkwardly, turning away from her.

"Ben," She said, causing him to pause in his motion - forcing him to look back at her. "Be careful,"

She was gone before he could return the sentiment, and he was forced to make his way back to the party, despite how loathe he was to do so.

The rest of the night passed by without much incident. It didn't seem that Luke had noticed his absence at all - he felt thankful that his uncle was mostly drunk by the time he returned. He supposed even the worst villains had to let a bit of steam off sometimes. He didn't pick up his station at the dance floor again, begging off for one reason or another. He drank too much berry wine, and by the time his uncle had gone home he found he was thankful for the excuse to leave. His thoughts were on Rey, and no matter how he tried to avoid thinking of her, she darted across his mind like a stream of light.

* * *

it was only a kiss, it was only a kiss

:)


	9. Chapter 9

Ben couldn't sleep that night.

He thought, what with all of the wine and rich food he would sleep like he had when he'd been a baby, but he didn't find that to be true. He tossed and turned in his own chambers, feeling restless and too warm. Finally, giving up on the thought of sleeping altogether, he tossed his blankets back and sat up, feet touching the cold floor beneath. He stood, grabbing the long robe he wore when it grew chilly, wrapping it around his bare upper half. He crept out into the hallway, finding it was unusually quiet. He supposed that many of the maids and servants had taken the opportunity to get drunk themselves.

At one time, he might have felt safe roaming these halls, but that time had long passed. He hoped Luke was still sleeping it off and he wouldn't run into him again. He hadn't seen Rey since she'd left him in the garden, and though he had been expecting her to show up in his chambers as she often did, he was disappointed to find she did not. He hoped that she had made it back alright. However, his feet did not direct him to her chamber, instead rather drawing him towards his mother's rooms. The door stood slightly ajar, and he could see one of Finn's men standing awake near the entrance, keeping an eye out.

"You may go," Ben said, moving into the room. "Come back in an hour,"

His mother was where she had been for the past weeks. She looked pale in the moonlight and he could hear her breathing low, though he was glad to hear it at all. He and his mother had always had much more of a bond than he and his father, but he realized he'd been avoiding feeling any sort of way about this at all. He drew a chair up beside her bed and found himself adjusting her blankets. She had always been a petite woman, but he had never seen her as small until right at that moment.

"Mother," He murmured, resting his large hand atop hers. "What a mess we've gotten ourselves into,"

He kept hoping against all hope that she would open her eyes and look at him, and that this would have been one big nightmare. It would be a dream he would wake up from and things would go back to normal. He felt himself standing at the precipice of something, and he knew that nothing could go back to the way it had been before.

"I keep trying to think of what you would tell me," He said, looking at her peaceful face. "Trust her, my foolish boy," It was almost as if she was speaking through him. He knew it was a ridiculous way to feel. "But I'm not sure if I can,"

He was reminded of creeping through the hallways when he was a boy, scared of something in his room and crawling into bed with his parents. He had not done that in years, despite feeling the need to do so right then. Ben was alerted from his reverie when he heard something at the door, looking towards the shadows that danced beyond it.

"Who's there?" He boomed out, his voice sounding more intimidating than he felt.

He saw her come into the dim light and realized it was Rey. Her face had been washed clean and she was wearing a thin white nightgown that cast shadows along the shape of her frame. Ben was glad when she wrapped her robe more tightly around herself. Her hair held some of the wave from the night, but she looked less dangerous than she had just a few hours before.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt,"

"What are you doing here?" He asked, sitting up a bit straighter.

"I couldn't sleep. I had a thought but you weren't in your room, obviously,"

"Obviously not," He murmured. "How did you know I was here?"

"I didn't, I just wanted to make sure she was still well," She drew up another chair to sit beside him. "I thought to go out into the courtyard and see the moons,"

They were full, and currently an eerie shade of purple.

Ben didn't realize how much Leia might have meant to Rey, but he thought that maybe she had been checking on her much more than he had. She seemed to know just how tenuous the situation was, and perhaps she wanted to keep her kind benefactor away from his sister. They sat in silence. It wasn't awkward, but pensive, as if they weren't quite sure what to say to one another. The strange magic of the dance had lifted and now they seemed much more in their minds. Ben had already settled it with himself that it shouldn't happen again, ignoring the fact that he desperately wanted it to.

"Ben, I had an idea," She murmured, repeating herself after some time had passed. It must have been an hour, because the next guard came in and took his place.

"Not here," He said. "Come on,"

"Goodnight, mother," He leaned down, pressing a brief kiss to her forehead before he followed Rey from the room.

When they were in the hallway, she spoke again.

"I think you should do it," She murmured. "I think you should take the throne,"

Ben hushed her, fiercely.

"Not here," He grabbed her hand and lead her back through the winding corridors to his chambers.

"Your mother gave you the stone, you should do it,"

"Luke will question the legitimacy of that," He admitted. "And since my mother is not awake to tell him the truth of it he might assume I took it. It might end up with one of them in regency,"

"What does that mean?"

"It means either my father or my uncle will be put in charge to manage the kingdom. Don't you think that might be exactly what he was hoping for?"

"Maybe, but it might buy us some more time. For you, and for your mother,"

"I don't believe my mother is ever going to open her eyes again," He finally said, the realization of it hitting him square in the chest.

He turned away from her, moving into his own sitting room to pour out a bit of alcohol, glad for the steadying burn down his throat when he tossed it back. He opened the windows that lead out into the moon-bled night, looking out over the palace. Rey followed him, and he could tell by the look on her face she was about to say something upsetting, but was trying to find the best way to say it to minimize the damage.

"If she dies," She began, frowning. "Wouldn't it fall to you anyway?"

"Unless Luke produces an heir,"

"But he's never..."

"That we know of," Ben moved to take another drink but before he could, he felt her small fingers brushing against his own to pluck the glass out of his hand. She tossed the rest of it back herself. He watched her, impressed and irritated. "I don't want to talk about this anymore,"

"But we have to. This is your kingdom. What happens if he produces an heir?"

"Then there will be significant reason for dispute of who the throne belongs to,"

"Do you think that's what he's doing?"

"I don't know. I think it's about much more than just the Throne,"

"Me too," She murmured, looking crestfallen. "I think he's going to try and dismantle the whole thing completely,"

Ben didn't reply. He thought back on every conversation he'd ever had with his uncle. The man had never been fond of the Palace, kings, queens or knights. He believed that they needed to be done away with for true progress to begin. He had probably been hoping that it would end with Leia, but he hadn't anticipated her having a son. Ben didn't think it was so much about having the throne as it was just completely ripping the weed free from the ground. He realized she was probably right.

"Ben?"

"What?"

"I think we should send someone back into Brendol's house," She admitted. "There's something there. He's looking for help, if we send someone in we might be able to get more information about what's going on there,"

"Do you have someone in mind?"

"I do."

* * *

There was still the poison to think about. The dagger had been sort of a dead end thus far, and Ben wasn't sure that they were barking up the right tree when it came to Brendol, but he supposed it wasn't too far off. He and his uncle had been friends, and it seemed likely that all of Luke's "friends" were drawn up into whatever he was planning. Ben tried to write notes about everything he knew about the poison that was used on his mother, and he did research on all various parts of the world it came from, but none were nearby.

Someone had to have smuggled it in, or someone was producing it.

And then there was the strange symbol, which Ben had yet to figure out. He spent so much time in the library that people were beginning to feel as if he might become a scholar rather than a Prince. Perhaps he was planning on leaving it all behind and going on some sort of vision quest into nowhere.

Rey sent one of her own, young guards into Brendol's employ. The girl was old enough to be a guard, but looked young, and she was able to pull off the act quite convincingly. It was a slow game, then, waiting until something came up that might be worth checking out. He thought about what Rey had said, though he couldn't make up his mind about it to save his life. If it had just been about his uncle wanting the throne, he might have given it up. Ben had never been that lucky in his life.

He began inspecting trade routes along the coast, and he got a good deal more interested in what was coming in and out, but it wasn't long before he realized that the poison hadn't been smuggled in...which meant that someone was likely producing it. The whole operation of it was terrible, and he wondered how it had gone unnoticed thus far.

He and Rey had brief meetings, where they exchanged whatever tidbits they had found. She had handed him off onto someone else as far as training went, and he had to wonder if she was ashamed about that night in Brendol's study. Ben felt the sting of rejection - it had happened to him before and he was familiar with it - and he knew she was avoiding him the best she could. He had agreed to let her stay, but the deal hadn't included stolen kisses in the dark, so he couldn't blame her.

He had stopped waiting for her in the small sanctuary. It had been weeks since she'd made an appearance.

He felt the distance between them so much that when he thought he might have had a line on where someone might be producing poison, he didn't tell her, and he vowed to follow it up on his own. Maybe it was bullheaded, or maybe he just felt as if she had been toying with him. Ben had sneaked into his uncle's study and found a few of his holdings, and he realized that there was one such piece of land out in the country side that would suit the purpose of poison quite well.

If he could see it with his own eyes, then it would all be over before it had even gotten started.

That night he crept out of his chambers and saddled his horse, riding out into the dark night. He realized he might not ever return, but he didn't know if he worried about it. The ride was a long one, but he thought he had enough time to get there and back before anyone would notice his absence, and he had very few eyes on him these days, especially now that Rey seemed unconcerned about whatever she had been concerned about before.

He rode fast, his cloak whipping out behind him in the night air, the speed pushing his cowl back from his face. He kept as off of the beaten path as he could, trying to dip into hidden places when he heard any other travelers. He didn't want to be seen, even in the dark someone might recognize him.

The building loomed, and Ben came up on it on foot. It seemed quiet, almost empty, and he wondered if this had been a fruitless journey. He thought he was being quiet enough, and he was just about to turn tail and head home when he heard noises. There were fields and fields, but it was too dark to see what was in them, and the group of noisy thugs that came forward didn't appear to be a smoking gun. Ben's throat constricted when he realized he had seen them before with Snoke. These were Snoke's men.

He didn't have much time to respond, as he felt a smash of pain against the back of his skull. His vision blurred a bit, and by the time he woke up he realized it was Snoke who was dragging him through the dust out into the light. Ben fought, though he was too groggy to really gain purchase. Ben had forgot about the panic that rose up in his throat each time Snoke got the better of him. He hadn't ever felt this way while training with Rey.

"Look what we have here," He laughed out, kicking Ben in the stomach for good measure, causing the Prince to curl in on himself in pain. "Little lost Prince? How does his highness find himself here?" Snoke kicked dust up with the toe of his boot, and Ben felt it stinging his eyes and the back of his throat, causing him to cough.

"You're not supposed to be here, Prince," The last word came out like a curse, and Snoke kicked him again, causing him to cough and groan in pain.

Ben rolled onto his stomach, grasping fistfuls of dirt in an attempt to gain purchase enough to right himself, at least onto his feet. Snoke wasn't about to let that happen, and planted his boot in Ben's side, pushing hard enough to knock him down again. Meanwhile, the thugs stood looking on, smirking out their sadistic glee along with their master.

Ben used a move Rey taught him, using the length of his legs to swipe out and knock Snoke's out from underneath him. He was shocked, but the rage that showed on his face made Ben forget his triumph immediately. He scrambled to his feet, drawing his blade and blearily swinging out around himself, causing the thugs to jump out away from him to avoid being slashed. Ben felt blood moving hotly down the side of his face, and it got into an eye that was already bad from a previous injury that Snoke had inflicted on him.

Snoke had righted himself in the time it had taken Ben to find his feet again, and he was laughing, spitting dirt out of his teeth.

"What you gonna do with that, little boy?" Snoke said, trying to intimidate him by drawing ever nearer.

Ben knew what he had to do, but looking at Snoke, he froze. He panicked. He felt like a little boy again, and he couldn't force himself to do anything. He was afraid, and the fear must have shown full and clear on his face. Snoke took it, Ben foolishly exposing the pink underside of his fear, and exploited it. Snoke disarmed him, causing his sword to go clattering off into the dust. Ben had the skill to fight him, he just couldn't. Something in him locked up and kept him from moving.

Ben thought to run, but he couldn't do that either. He was completely frozen.

"Weak boy," Snoke finally muttered. "No better than either of your parents,"

Snoke sucker punched him, causing him to go down like a big pile of rocks. It was somewhere between then and feeling Snoke's short, brutal little blade sink into the flesh of his chest that he had done a very stupid thing in coming here alone, and this was to be how he was to die.

The second time Ben felt the blade sink into his flesh, it seemed to hurt less. Maybe that's because he was he was still recovering from the first, or maybe his body had gone into shock. He coughed, feeling the specks of blood staining his lips as he rolled his head onto the hard ground, settling into it as if it was an old friend. Snoke was about to go in for a third time when Ben heard a high pitched noise whip through the air, and a heavy thunk as an arrow planted itself square into Snoke's shoulder. Snoke's face was one of surprise as he sputtered and fell backwards. The arrows started whizzing in quickly after that, landing in some of his thugs and sending them scattering out to the four winds.

Ben didn't care, but he was fighting hard to hold onto his cognizance. His vision went black at the edges and he felt the inertia of the ground calling out to him with such a fierce, siren call that it was hard to avoid. The last thing he saw before he closed his eyes was Rey, her face a mask of concern, her hair hanging sweetly into her face, his name falling from her lips.

* * *

It was a blur of faces after that, he thought he saw his mother, and then his father - and even Luke. There were brief snatches of time when he thought he was awake, but it was hard to say. He dreamed in fragments, and sometimes not at all. There were dreams that were so strange and full of color and sound that it seemed as if he was dead, trying to traverse the veil and get to the other side. Something always pulled him back, a brush of warmth on his hand, or a murmur of his name.

When he did finally wake up, he didn't know how long he had been asleep, and he couldn't trust that he was even really awake. He was in his own bed, and the windows had been opened - allowing a blooming spring to pour into the once stuffy chamber. The sun was bright, and his eye sockets felt bruised, so he blinked against it for a few long moments before he was able to get them fully open to the light. He smelled lavender and sage, burning and cracking away in the fireplace.

He thought that it might be a dream, after all, but when he tried to sit up the pain and protest in his chest forced him to lay right back down with a 'whuff' and a groan. It wasn't a dream after all, he'd been stabbed twice and nearly died. He was surprised to find himself alone, but the room had a pleasant warmth to it that made him think of Rey. He tried to pick her from his blurry memories. Had she really been there? Had she saved his life?

He looked up as he heard the door latch click open, and he saw Rey standing there with a basket full of fruit and herbs in her arms. She was dressed in plain spun clothing, linen dyed in earthy tones. She wore a pair of men's breeches that she'd cinched up on her slender waist and a loose fitting linen shirt that was covered with a vest that had sea shell buttons on it. Her hair was tied up in her favored knots, and her cheeks were rosy with exertion.

Her look was one of utter surprise, and she was so taken aback that she dropped the basket, sending golden apples rolling all over the floor.

"Ben," She exclaimed, breathy. It looked for a moment that she might jump into the bed with him, and she did come forward quickly to wrap her arms around his neck, causing the bed to rustle. He couldn't help the pained groan that escaped him with the movement.

Carefully, she leaned back, hiding her face and wiping it free of tears before she looked at him again. He wasn't expecting her to lash out and punch his uninjured side.

"Ow!" He shouted, reaching up to cradle his other arm and finding that his mobility was severely limited by bandages and poultices. He smelled like they were about to put him into the oven and roast him. "What was that for?"

"You are so unbelievably stupid!" She stood up from the bed, moving from happy to angry rather quickly. Ben had whiplash. "How could you do such a thing? Going out there, alone?"

Ben felt cowed. He had been stupid, he wasn't about to argue that point. So, he stayed silent, looking up at her as she moved around trying to gather up all of the fruit she'd spilled.

"Well?" She said, standing up and blowing hair out of her mouth.

"Well, what?"

"Do I get an explanation? Even an apology?"

"An apology for what?" Ben said, almost incredulous. He was the one who had almost died. He was conveniently forgetting for the moment that she was the one who had saved him.

"An apology for doing what you did? An apology for not telling me? An apology for almost dying!" She set the basket on the nearby dresser, and he realized by the shaking in her shoulders she was either laughing, or crying again.

He'd never been the reason for someone crying. He found he didn't care for it.

"I'm sorry," He said, feeling like a boy again. "I didn't think you'd want to know. We barely spoke after the mask,"

Rey frowned, but she didn't say anything. They stayed like that in awkward silence for a few moments.

"What about Snoke?" He asked after a few long moments.

"We couldn't find him. His injury wasn't fatal, but I'm not sure how he got away so quickly,"

Ben frowned at that. That meant that he was still out there, and there was still a chance he'd come around and try to finish what he started.

"What were you doing out there?" She asked.

"I found some of Luke's holdings. It seemed like a good place to manufacture poison," he shifted, uncomfortably, grimacing in pain. "Did you find anything?"

"Not a thing," Rey said, frowning as she moved her way back over to him. "Here, the physician said this will help with the pain,"

It looked like tar. It tasted like tar, and Ben coughed, setting the empty glass aside after he'd downed it. He began to feel sleepy.

"I can't imagine what they were doing out there," He said, settling back into his pillow. Rey came to sit at his side, careful not to disrupt the bed.

"We can go back when you're feeling better," She offered, looking him over. He had grown pale with the lack of sun, and loss of blood. He was sure he looked like hell.

"How did you know?"

"Know what?"

"How did you know where I was?" He asked. She flushed.

"I told you I would protect you," She said simply.

"Were you following me that whole time?"

She didn't get a chance to answer, as they both looked to find Finn and Luke standing in the doorway. Luke looked pleased that his nephew still lived, but Ben found he really didn't want to keep up with the charade. Finn gave him a brief, cursory nod, and if it was possible, the man seemed glad that he'd lived. They had never been friends, but they seemed to be gaining a sort of respect for one another.

Luke came around the bed in his sweeping slate robes and Ben released a sigh.

"Uncle," He said, as jovially as he could muster.

"Well, you look well," He said. "It was touch and go there for awhile, there were a few times we were sure we'd lost you," Luke looked at Rey, smiling beatifically at her. "Aren't you two a pair?"

Rey stood up abruptly.

"Uncle, have you seen the new garden?" She asked. "I planted it,"

Ben was glad for her interference, and he watched them both go. Finn kept his post just outside of the door, and he realized both of the Organa's had almost died. How it must look to those outside of the palace, an ailing Queen and a stupid, bullheaded Prince. Ben had never cared much how he appeared to the outside world, but suddenly he thought that what Rey had said made sense.

It was time for him to pick up the job his mother had left behind, even if it did paint a larger target on his back.

It was time for him to do what his mother had expected of him - especially if she was never to wake up again.

Ben fell asleep with these thoughts whirling through his brain, the sunlight warming his skin and the scent of lavender filling his nose.

* * *

so fast these updates! sorry about the length, i had to almost kill ben.


	10. Chapter 10

Ben slowly recovered. It was an uphill battle of trying to regain range of motion and trying to keep the pain at bay. There were days when he was unbelievably exhausted, days where he could barely find the stamina to get out of bed, but little by little he got better and better. Rey was with him often, and in those moments it got easy to forget that they were up against any sort of walls at all. They ate together, laughed together, and Ben found himself opening up to her. Before long he found that when she wasn't within his sight line he missed her.

Luke had taken his nephews almost death as an excuse to visit his home out in the countryside. Ben could not say he missed his uncle's presence, but it made him uneasy. Had they gotten too close? Ben felt sure that it wasn't a good idea to allow him time to regroup, but what could he do? He was a bit like an injured bird, it would be awhile before he could fly again. At the back of his mind rested Snoke. He doubted the man would allow him to live this encounter down, and he was probably twice as full of rage as he had been. There were days when he missed Leia's council, terribly. He began to think of all the times that Snoke had traumatized him as a boy, and was determined to overcome his fear of him - it would be the only way he could manage to take him down without being taken down himself.

That night, after all the fussing had been done, Ben found himself strangely alone. The watch on him had gotten lighter as he had gotten better, though he was surprised that even Rey hadn't come to visit him. Her duties had gotten heavier, and she'd gotten busier, but he only had himself to blame for that. He slid out of his bed, tired of the sight of it, and dressed in plain clothes. He had learned his lesson (apparently) about going places on his own, but he hated to think he was some frail boy who fell down when people weren't looking.

Finn stood outside, looking solemn and fierce. They had grown more friendly in the past few weeks, but Ben suspected it was mostly due to Rey. They seemed to have some sort of quiet bond that Ben felt himself just a tad envious of. Finn looked at him in a questioning manner, he didn't need to speak at all.

"Just outside, Finn," He said in his deep tones. Is this what it was like to have people care for you?

Finn nodded his head, his motions always precise and quiet.

"Don't go too far," He said, and Ben thought he saw the crack of a smile. Was that a jest?

Ben was sure that someone might follow him, but when he broke out into the fresh air he felt revived. He had gotten bored being in bed all of the time. He found his way to the training area. It was empty, having been swept and cleaned up earlier in the afternoon. Most of the activities tended to take place in the morning, after all, when the sun was high.

Ben picked up one of the old practice swords. He thought, perhaps, that his own might be too heavy, and took a few cautionary swings before he began moving through the drills that Rey had set up for him. It was as if Snoke had never trained him at all. He was so pleased with the activity that he didn't realize that his wounds had started to bleed, just a bit. He felt strong, stronger than he had in weeks, and he didn't seem to be thinking of the price he might pay the next day when it came to sore muscles and torn stitches.

He wasn't able to get too far along his path of self destruction when he heard his name.

"Ben!" It was firm, and he knew who it belonging to almost immediately. He turned to find Rey standing there, arms crossed over her chest. "I thought even you knew better than to fight with an injury," She said, closing the distance between them.

"'Tis but a flesh wound," He said, jokingly.

"You're in high spirits,"

"I'm bored," He replied. "Feel like a challenge?" He took stance, ready to spar.

"I can't, in good conscience, take you up on that offer,"

"Worried about being beaten by a weakling?" He teased, though she quickly pushed the edge of the wooden sword away, returning the playful gaze.

"No," She replied.

"What then?"

She pointed, and he realized that there were bright spots of red blood on his shirt, sinking into the cross stitch of the fabric from the bandages he still wore. He hadn't realized he was bleeding, but he didn't think it was serious. Just a few spots of blood. She regarded him as if he were a puppy who didn't know when to quit. She surprised him when she touched his middle, lifting up the shirt he was wearing, using her fingertips to gather it up and pull it over his head. He felt the pain then, when he shifted, but he didn't stop her. She wasn't shy, but he might have been all too willing to mistake this for something else. He felt her fingertips with surprising potency, each time they brushed his body he was aware of it. She undressed him with careful clemency, and he watched her silently while she did it.

Finally, she sensed him watching her and she looked up, her eyes mischievous and her mouth set into a determined line.

"What?" She asked, carefully drawing away the bloodied bandages to get a better look at the damage.

"What are you doing?"

"You're bleeding," She reiterated, gently peeling away the remainder of the bandages.

"I know I'm bleeding, I can go to the infirmary,"

"I can handle it," She said, ever determined.

He allowed himself to be lead, taking seat so that she could examine the wounds. They were healing rather well, pink flesh surrounding the wounds. She went to retrieve the first aid kit and cleaned the blood up before putting on fresh bandages. She handed him his shirt, balled up in her hands, and he slid back into it, looking a bit sheepish. He thought of how different it might have been if it hadn't just been because he was bleeding. He thought of it quite abruptly, the flush of her cheeks and pretty moans falling from her lips. It almost caused him to blush, but he thankfully recovered himself without any notice.

Or, almost without notice. Rey seemed to notice the odd look on his face and gave her one of her own, and it caused them to stand there staring at one another as if they were trying to read each other's thoughts. It didn't work. It didn't work for either of them, and they were forced to continue on with regular conversation.

"Ben," She started. "I wanted to ask you something,"

"What is it?"

"I remember you saying something about how the poison that was used on your mother is an expensive endeavor," She pushed her lips together thoughtfully. "What does it entail?"

"A large, dark area," He admitted. "Blood from living humans,"

"Do you think perhaps we just weren't looking in the right place?"

"Why?"

"We didn't get much time to look, but something seemed off about that place," She admitted. "I think we should go back,"

"I was planning on it, anyway,"

"I think you should stay here," She clarified. "I think Finn and I will be better off going,"

Ben was a little hurt at the idea that he might be a liability, but he couldn't deny the fact that she was probably right. He was injured, and he was likely just to slow them down.

"You seem to be good friends now," He said simply, resisting the urge to fiddle with his hands.

"We respect one another,"

Ben nodded his head in understanding, but it was hard not to feel disappointed. For a brief moment, he had forgotten what they were to each other.

"I see," He stood up, quietly thanking Rey for her attention and exiting the arena.

* * *

Ben started to regain some of his strength and went back to training fairly regularly. He bounced back more quickly than he might have guessed, but was just in time for good old Uncle Luke to return. He brought another girl with him, this one younger and sharper - and much less friendly than Rey. He couldn't expect that Luke's intentions with this girl were the same, but it clearly made all of them uncomfortable.

Luke called a meeting that very same day, forcing them all into the throne room - himself, his father and the entire court - filling the space up to the brim with onlookers. Ben wondered at it, and knew it could not mean anything good. Ben took his spot at the head of the room, finding that it grew warm with all of the people packed into it. He spotted Rey and Finn, looking concerned, and his father, looking aloof. There were others, guards, courtiers, advisers, strategists. He had dressed for the occasion, though the gold leaf crown on his head felt like a mockery. He was sure he was no king.

Ben waited until his uncle came in, wearing his favored white robes doused with crimson lining. At this side was the girl - a waif of thing with freckled skin and bright red, curling hair. He had never seen anything like her, and he was sure his Uncle had stolen her from the wildlings in the wood.

"Nephew," He said, loudly, so that all might hear. "I'm glad to see you looking so well," There was something in his eyes that suggested he meant exactly the opposite. It was a disappointment that Ben hadn't died, even if he'd had no part in planning out Snoke's attack.

"Uncle," Ben said, pulling his cloak around him and taking a seat. "Why have you brought us all here?"

"Well, your highness," Luke began, magnanimously. "I've called you here to ask you what you intend to do in lieu of your mother being gone. As of yet I've seen no indication that you intend to take over the throne, or her duties,"

Ben was surprised at it, but he wagered he shouldn't have been. Luke continued.

"There are villages being burned in the outer layer, and other than an ill fated visit to see the chaos I have not seen you taking any steps to solve the problem," Luke looked pleased with himself.

"And you needed all of these people here for this?"

"Ben, I would like you to meet your cousin," He pulled forth the red haired girl. It was a shock, certainly, like cold water had been dumped over his head. The people gasped in lieu of the confession. "Jade, meet Ben," Ben could see the tale tell look of dislike in her eyes, likely planted there by Luke. Even if her face was pleasant and she curtsied very low, Ben could not ignore the look in her eyes.

"And you expect me to believe she's blood when you've never brought her here before?" Ben asked, anger rising up the back of his throat.

"To be frank, I don't care what you believe," Ben moved around as if he was orating to a classroom. "If you don't intend to take over your duties, I am within my rights to offer my own blood for the throne,"

"You cannot do that without majority," Ben roared, his voice getting louder and meaner. He hated himself for getting so angry. "Unless you have my mother's seal of approval," Ben said, snide.

"How could I have gotten that? She's barely clinging to life," Luke looked at him, sharply. "And the stone seems to have gone missing,"

It seemed to make sense now why he had run into his uncle stalking the corridors late at night. He was probably looking for that damned thing.

"I have the stone," Ben said, sharply.

Luke looked pleased. Ben could tell he'd shown his hand too soon.

"Be that as it may," Luke said. "With your mother sleeping and no real coronation ceremony having taken place, I believe you'll find I am still within my right,"

"Not without majority," Ben suddenly understood why his uncle had drawn all of these people here. He intended to take a haphazard vote. Luke wouldn't have believed that Ben would win such a vote, not with his poison having spread far and wide. Ben began to wonder if that was some of the reason for his awful reputation.

"So we'll take a vote, then,"

When he looked at Rey, she would not meet his eyes.

Luke indicated that those who voted for Ben should kneel, and those who voted for Jade should stand. Ben thought he had known what the outcome would be, and was shocked when he realized that the room was divided, exactly in half. Half for him, and half for Luke.

Luke was visibly surprised himself. It was a stumbling block, but it had really only bought Ben more time - and it had been what he'd thought - they would have to instate a regent in his mother's place. They both turned to his father, who was the only one who could fill the job now without conflict from either side. Until a real vote could be established across the kingdom, Han would stand in Leia's place. It was a job he never wanted, and Ben could tell he wasn't terribly pleased with the verdict.

When it was all said and done, Ben burst out into the hallway, his rage carrying him quickly out of the hall. He plucked his crown from his head and threw it, enjoying hearing it clatter against stone and settle somewhere. He didn't care, he had no intention of retrieving it. He was making a plan as he strode along, unaware that he was being followed. He had to get his mother out of the palace. He had been stupid to believe that Luke wouldn't find ways to continue dosing her, and though she'd held on this long, he couldn't imagine that would continue forever. Luke had kept her alive, but he had made sure she wouldn't be able to contribute to the process of him taking over the throne. If there was no one to hand down the right, then someone would be put in place to watch over the kingdom until the matter could be resolved.

Why was he so angry when it was something he hadn't even been sure he wanted? Well, now it was personal, and he intended to make sure that Luke never saw the light of day again - killing him would have been too easy, and he wanted to strip him of everything he had, just as he'd tried to do to Ben. He angrily stalked into his chambers, the door slamming behind him but not closing completely. He fought with his cloak, slinging it off of his shoulders and balling it up, chucking it across the room without care.

He heard the door click behind him and he turned around, finding Rey standing there with his crown in her hands. It had gotten bent in the fury.

"Did you know about this?" He asked.

She nodded her head slowly, but didn't reply. He shook his head, looking at her, breathing heavily like an angry bull.

"What else do you know about?"

Rey looked as if she might come clean, but something stopped her.

"You lied to me that night," He said simply. "You lied about everything," He seemed to know it with awful clarity then.

"No, not about everything," She said. "Ben, you don't understand,"

"No, I guess I don't," He said, finding that the look on her face took some of the wind out of him. "But I have no desire to," He said, harshly. "This kingdom is not mine, it never was," It was a fresh betrayal, stripping away the pain of the old ones.

 _You are not mine, you never were._

"Get out," He said, his tone empty and his voice breaking, betraying his resolve. "Get out," He said again, this time more firmly. The third, time he shouted it, causing her to jump and drop his crown where it rolled like a coin and settled noisily.

When she turned, he could see the tears building up in her eyes, but all he could manage to do was let her go.

* * *

Ben realized he could not let his mother stay here another day. He might have let it go on for too long already. He knew he had to act that night. Rey did not come to see him again. She might have been thinking he would oust her from the Palace, but he no longer had any illusions about his power here. He realized his enemies were growing daily, and even though there were those that had stood with him, it was inevitable that his uncle would find a way to get his way.

Ben realized he might have to be just as ruthless, if he was ever going to stand up to this and win.

That night, he put on the quietest pair of boots he had and he dressed in all black. He packed what he could take, the damned stone being the first thing he'd tossed into his bag after smashing his mother's puzzle box open. He only took what he'd need and nothing else, and he realized that what he would mostly need would be gold. He took everything he'd been squirreling away with him. He didn't think Finn's guard would be easy to disarm, but he was glad to find it wasn't Finn. He used his easy knowledge of botany to his advantage, taking with him a high potency powder that he blew right into his face the moment that the guard tried to stop him. Ben caught him before he had a chance to fall, heavily onto the ground, and laid him in a nearby chair. He would wake up in a few hours. Ben didn't need that much time.

He found her, resting in her bed. She was barely breathing, but he could find her small pulse beating away in her wrist. He hoped that this wouldn't be what killed her, but he knew to let her stay there would be to definitely condemn her to death. He lifted her out of the bed, wrapping her in the heaviest, darkest cloak he could find. She was so frail it was as if he was carrying nothing at all. He doubted anyone would be pleased about the theft of their queen, but Ben knew it was the most important thing.

He had been stupid, and weak.

He would not be so again.

He decided not to take anything with him. No horses, no carriages. He didn't want to risk being tracked, and it would be much better to find something that didn't draw much attention once they'd gotten into the city. He carried his mother that whole distance, but adrenaline and pure rage fueled his energy, he didn't even notice she was there. She was so still and she breathed so low that Ben wondered if he had done this all for nothing.

Ben began to see farms, and though he might have felt a twinge of guilt about stealing a cart, he realized he had to. He set his mother down, drawing the fabric around her in such a way that he hoped no one would notice that she was a human - hiding her as best he could. He crept into the place, doing his best to remain silent, having listened to what Rey had to say about how loud he'd been once before. Sneaking had never been his forte, but he had gotten a lot lighter on his feet. He released one of their ponies from the stable and lead it out, hooking it to a plain cart that they likely used to haul vegetables back and forth. He tried not to think of her. If she was snake poison he could have sucked out of his veins he would have done it in an instant.

He had almost gotten away with the cart until he saw a lone figure standing in his path. It was presumably the owner of the land, who held a torch and a rusty old blade. He intended to fight to keep his cart, it seemed. He questioned Ben first, but Ben didn't respond, standing silent and resolute, hidden by his generous cloak and hook. When the farmer advanced on him, Ben found himself moving with a quickness and a clarity he had yet to experience. Perhaps it was the skill level of the farmer, or perhaps the rage had cleared his vision. He disarmed him, pressing a sharp dagger he'd quickly drawn from his boot up against the man's throat. It would have been easy to cut, and let the life drain, but Ben only drew a pinprick of blood.

"Tell anyone you saw me here and I will come back and do much worse,"

Ben pulled his dagger away, wiping it on his cloak. He sheathed it, taking a moment to knee the farmer in his groin, sending him crumbling towards the earth. He wanted to make sure the man wouldn't get stupid and try to come after them. He dropped a few heavy pieces of silver in the dirt beside the farmer that would find as soon as he recovered. He supposed he wasn't totally heartless, not yet, anyway.

He continued on his way, retrieving Leia and laying her out in the back of the cart. She would have said something about how she'd smell of hay, but she didn't. She simply slept on. After attaching the pony to the pony cart, Ben found himself in the seat, spurning the horse on. It would be slow going, but he didn't have any idea where he was going, anyway.

The night turned into day, and Ben was thankful it wasn't the dead of summer. He kept an eye on his mother, stopping occasionally to make sure she was still breathing. The towns passed, growing smaller and farther apart before it seemed there were to be no more until he came on a small town that looked almost empty. He supposed the fear of the raiders had sent the people moving towards the cities. There was safety in numbers, after all. Ben stopped and purchased food and water, asking the shop keep if there were any places where he might stay.

"None in town," The man said gruffly. "Though if ye ask over there at Obaron's place he might be willing to let you stay in that old cottage of his,"

Ben nodded, but didn't speak again. He felt it was better that he not, in case someone recognized him for any reason. Obaron's cottage was not for rent until Ben placed a heavy bag of silver in front of the man, and it was obvious that it was for sale for the right, exorbitant price. He had the same warning for the man - if he told anyone he would do him ill. The cottage was sparsely decorated and had a few pieces of furniture. Ben laid his mother out on the only cot in the small building, pressing his hand to her forehead and testing again for her breath.

He might have been imagining things, but it seemed as if it was getting stronger.

Ben sold the pony and destroyed the cart, using it for firewood that night. The first night in the cottage was dark, there were no candles and the fireplace smoked and barely provided any light. He fell asleep curled in the corner of the room, his cloak wrapped around him. He wished he didn't have to go back into town, and when he did he bought whatever he could manage to carry before disappearing into the woods again. He was sure they must have found him to be an oddity, but after that day he didn't go back. He found he could mostly live without any need to see anyone else.

Sometimes he sat by his mother's bed, tipping cold tea down her throat and wondering how long it would be before she wasted away into nothing. He managed to get gruel down her throat sometimes, and he thought he saw some of her color return. Each night when he went to bed, he was too exhausted to think of anything else. This might be a temporary fix, but it would do for then.

After he'd been there for a few days, he relaxed just a bit. He was sitting at his makeshift desk, one he'd hammered together himself and one that wobbled, when he heard a rock come sailing through the window. It cracked, knocking against the wall and falling with a thud to the floor. He was up in an instant, and out the front door. He expected to see Rey standing there, or even Luke, so he was surprised to find that the entire cottage was surrounded by cloaked figures. He took stance, ready to fight them all off with a dagger if he had to - before the leader of the pack broke free.

He recognized her almost instantly. It was the woman who sold the daggers. His hand dropped in confusion, the dagger dropping into the dirt.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, obviously surprised.

"Followed ya," She said, cheerfully.

"How?"

"Farmer Graves was pretty vocal about ya," She said, smirking as she bounded up, picking up his dagger and handing it back to him. "I'm Rose,"

"And I thought I was so intimidating," He said, taking her hand carefully. "Ben,"

"Well, hard to keep you a secret," She admitted.

"You still haven't answered my question,"

"Oh, what I'm doing here?"

He nodded slowly in response, still confused.

"I want to help you,"

"Help me with what?"

"Luke,"

"Luke," He repeated dumbly.

"Yes, Luke. I used to be one of his girls,"

His girls?

* * *

woooo. did i pull the rug out from underneath ya? who's ready for badass ben? i ammmmmm


	11. Chapter 11

Ben looked at her, curious about what she'd said, but he was sure she was the type of person he should not be accepting help from. He didn't trust easily, and this was quite bizarre.

"Did Rey send you?"

"Nope," Rose said, peering up at him curiously. "You're ugly for a prince," She said.

The direct way in which she said it reminded him of a child, and he couldn't find it within himself to be offended at it.

"Thank you," He said simply in return. "Why do you want to help me, exactly?"

"I don't like your uncle," She said, grabbing his arm and dragging him into the cot. "And anyone with a brain in their skull would probably feel the same,"

She looked over the cottage with an appraising eye.

"Not the sort of digs I would have guessed for a prince,"

"You mentioned his girls?"

"Oh, you haven't figured that out yet?" She turned, dropping herself into a cross legged position in front of the fire.

She reminded him of the acrobats he'd seen in a fair once when he'd been a boy. Light on her feet and in total control of her body. She pulled a pouch of something out of her jacket, rolling it into a cigarette of sort. She grabbed a lit piece of small firewood from the fire, lighting her cigarette and puffing smoke like a dragon before tossing the stick back into the fire after it had a chance to burn her hand.

He sighed. Apparently, since she was holding all of the cards, he was going to have to wait for an answer.

"He plucks us up off of the street and trains us to do various things," She admitted. "He feeds and clothes orphans, but it's always at a price," She murmured. "Only way I got away from him was by pretending I'm dead,"

"I wish I could say I'm surprised, but I didn't realize it went any farther than Rey,"

"Rey got lucky, she's one of his favorites," She smoked away, pulling her knees up to her chest. "He's got her sister, you know," She glanced at him sideways.

Ben felt a twinge of guilt, recalling what she'd said. You don't understand, Ben.

"They're not really sisters, but they've been together since they were girls so it probably feels like they are,"

"Last time we saw you, you didn't recognize her,"

"No, but even in that ridiculous getup you were in, I recognized you," She admitted. "And it dawned on me a few days later who she was,"

"Alright, so, tell me,"

"Luke's the one who's been burning the outer townships," She said. "He's got Snoke heading most of it, paying him a king's ransom to lead the kids, but I think he's doin' something else with a lot of them,"

"Why do you think that?"

"They've been disappearing,"

"And you care, why?"

"Because, I was that kid once," She admitted. "They don't deserve whatever it is he's doing to them,"

"Any solid reason you have to give that I should believe any of this?"

"Nope, but what other choice do you have?" She hopped up. "Your mother isn't going to make it for very long in these surroundings, and honestly, neither will you," She tossed the cigarette into the fire. "It didn't take me long to find you, and I know Luke is more well connected than I am. He's got someone everywhere,"

Ben knew she was right. It would be almost impossible for him to disappear unless he boarded a ship out into the isles, and who knew what his fate would be out there.

"You took a good step in getting her out of there," She said. "Now let us help you so it wasn't all in vain. You've got to be better than the alternative," Meaning Luke, he assumed.

Rose held out her hand. After a few moments, Ben reached out and shook it.

* * *

Ben didn't feel good about his decision, but after a few miles of watching Rose with her men and women, he felt more at ease. She treated them with respect, and though she was commanding, she earned respect in return. It reminded him a bit of his mother, in fact. His father had only been good at burning bridges, but his mother had often been the one repairing them. Rose was right, it was hard to hide him, but they did so in another pony cart that was attached to a pony who looked as if it had survived the last few centuries. Rose told Ben to fold up and hide in the dark, and he did so, his mother being carried along in much the same way.

They made a rather more convincing troupe of vagabonds, but not all of them traveled in the clump with them. He never saw them, but he knew that they were being followed by the rest of her troupe, wherever they were. Occasionally, to keep up with the charade, they would stop and play instruments for coin before rattling off to the next town.

Eventually, they stopped in the big city where Ben and Rey had eventually found her. Ben was stowed away into a dark warehouse before he was told it would be alright to get out of the horse cart. He was glad for the freedom, stretching his limbs and raising his arms high above his head in a leonine stretch, trying to work free hours of rattling around in the back of the horse cart. His shoulder throbbed, reminding him of the still healing wounds that lay there.

Rose gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder, her face half covered in black grease paint. He assumed it was part of her costume when they stopped and begged for coins. She lead him through a winding labyrinth that reminded him of the secret passageways back home. Finally, they came up against an interconnected unit of housing, and he realized that this was where they disappeared to when they disappeared. Ben found his mother was well cared for, put into a warm room with an attendant that would see to her. Ben didn't want to leave her alone here, but Rose convinced him that she was safe, safer than she'd ever been in the palace.

His own room was close to his mothers, which gave him a sense of relief. It was sparse, but he found himself more at home there than he ever had been in the sprawling palace chambers. He wasn't sure he would ever want to go back, but it quickly became clear that Rose had other plans for him than to let him stay away.

There was some fussing over what was to be done about how obvious he was. Should he walk with a limp? Should they take off one of his hands? What about a hunchback? In the end they decided it would be a mask, and he should never speak. Rose was less hopeful about his ability to sneak around unnoticed, and stick to the shadows, so in the event that he was ever seen at least his face would not be seen, and his voice would not be heard. The mask reminded him of the one he'd worn at the ball, though it was black in color with an unsettling smirk painted just-so to the lips. He would be a terror in it, tall and cloaked.

Rose was pleased with his knowledge of poisons and powders, and decided that it should be his major weapon of choice. She said that from what she had heard, he had never been good with a sword, and perhaps he was just brutal enough to deal damage with daggers and poisons. Snoke would have called him a coward, but Ben found that the more distant he got from the palace, the less he cared. Snoke could call him a coward with a knife sticking from his back and his eyes burning with toxicant.

Ben was fitted with clothing that would easily disguise what he carried with him, and most of the weapons he found himself now strapped with. Rose had taught him what she could, she told him his problem was not with skill but with how willing he was to hurt someone else. She seemed exasperated, but surprised that he lacked in the particularly brutality that Snoke had tried to instill in him. She said smoke and mirrors might suit him well.

She seemed to have a good deal of experience with this.

Ben was introduced to more people than whose names he could remember, but a few stood out. Most notably, Dameron, who he had last seen working at the palace. Poe had explained he'd been a part of this for longer than he could remember, after Snoke had killed his mother. There seemed to be a bit of a chance for a bond, there, but there wasn't much time to trade stories about how awful Snoke generally was.

There was Pik, who looked like a rat and had been given his namesake because he was good at picking locks. There was Tory, Lory and Bill, triplets who all had hideous facial deformities - their skills lying in mischief and manipulation. There was Sylph, a ghost of a girl who personified her name in a way no one ever had. She too had been one of Luke's girls, and she was more dangerous, he was sure, than Rey was. Ben felt strangely accompanied, as if he finally had others standing at his back. Rose was most certainly the leader, but they didn't treat him like a Prince. They treated him like Ben.

A few weeks passed before Ben brought up his uncles' holdings, explaining that they had found nothing when they had gone.

"Do you think you might have been prevented in seeing what was there?" She asked. "Sounds like you didn't get that far,"

Ben had to consider it, how lucky it was that Rey had found him right at the moment where he'd nearly been about to die. If she was with Luke, why had she saved him?

"It's possible," He said.

"Show me where it is,"

Ben pointed it out on the map, and Rose stuck a dagger in it. They had a flare for sticking daggers into things.

"Makes sense, this whole area around here is where he trains his orphans," She looked thoughtful. "It could be he's using this place to produce that poison,"

"So, he's going to poison all of us? One by one?"

"Probably not. He wouldn't have anyone to sell it to, then," She said blandly, a half smoked cigarette hanging out of her mouth as she regarded the map.

"He's going to poison anyone who kneels to me," He said, sadly.

It all seemed to be connecting to Ben. He'd financed this whole damn thing by taking lost children off of the streets, indenturing them to him, and then using them to create poison - it turn selling the poison to men like Brendol, who likely had a very good use for it. Rey, the maid who had poisoned his mother, the woman who had tried to poison him - they had all come from Luke. He wondered if what Rey had said was true, if she hadn't meant to kill him - or if she'd only been a stand in until she found the right moment to kill him.

Luke didn't just want the throne. He wanted the whole damn kingdom - and he wanted to obliterate whatever was left of the Organa's in his wake.

So why play the games? Perhaps it was just all part of the fun.

Luke seemed to enjoy letting his enemy know they were beaten.

"I think you should go back," Rose said.

"What?" Ben was surprised.

"Well, you have somewhat of an upper hand. You have your mother, and you have that weird stone thingy, and he doesn't know where either are," She paused. "I think the kingdom is just as divided as you are, Ben. It's not guarantee he would win a vote, but I think you might be able to convince Rey to tell you what he's up to,"

Ben scoffed. He must have been obvious.

"Didn't go so well the last time you saw each other?"

"Putting it lightly," He said, quietly.

"Well? Will you do it?"

"Fine," He muttered.

"Good, Sylph and Pik will go with you, and I'll take the others to this conclave," She pointed to the dagger.

"Make sure you dig," He said, strangely.

"What?"

"Dig," He repeated, but he didn't give her more of an answer.

* * *

It was to take place at night. He kissed his mother's forehead, thinking if it was the last time he saw her he should pay his respects. The thought of going back into the palace filled him with anxiety, but he saw the necessity in it, the hopeful tick that made him think that he could just make Rey turn away from his uncle. Rose had said to bargain, if she told them what she knew, what she really knew, they would help her get her sister out of whatever trouble she was in with Luke.

There had been parties every night since he had disappeared, or so he'd heard in town. People thought he was dead, which would work to his benefit. He dressed in his mask and his cape and decided that though this was silly, it might be the best chance he had at going unnoticed. He carried with him powders and poisons, and a brutal curved dagger with a serrated edge that was at home, strapped to his thigh instead of his boot. Mostly it went unseen, beneath the bilious folds of his cloak. It was a practical cloak, with more pockets than he thought he would ever have use for.

Getting into the palace was easy, there were so many drunkards he was sure that some of them thought him a fanciful performer, and he even did a few steps of a jig and presented a flower he'd quickly plucked to a giggling woman just to keep up with appearances. He kept out of the sight of the people who might recognize him on sight, but the rumor had worked better than he had thought. He came dangerously close to bumping into Finn, who seemed to look right through him.

He had to give Rose some credit.

The others had disappeared as quickly as they had appeared, and Ben knew they were tasked with trying to loot through Luke's chambers to see if his uncle was really dumb enough to leave anything important there. Maybe he had grown too cocky with his recent accomplishments. It was Rey he sought, his heart pounding at the thought of seeing her again. He forced himself into a chilly calm, he could not let her get the best of him any more.

He dipped out into the ballroom where the parties were most often held. He took a quick assessment of the room, finding that it was lightly guarded, and his uncle had already taken his place at the throne. His supposed cousin sat there beside him, and to his other side was Rey. He was not surprised to see that she looked irritatingly lovely in a low cut gown that resembled the color of blood and clung to her frame, slinging itself into a sort of mermaid tail. On her neck were the glittering pomegranate jewels. He wondered if they had been a gift from his uncle.

He intended to cut them off of her.

She caught sight of him, or at least glimpses of him. He kept moving, and it would appear as if he was in multiple parts of the room all at once. It was enough to have her leaning out of her seat, trying to get a better look at him. Finn seemed to notice, leaning down to presumably ask her if everything was well. She nodded, whispering something before excusing herself and leaving the chair.

He kept an eye on her before dipping out into the hallway, disappearing down another corridor. She followed all the way, and eventually he heard the clack of her heeled shoes against the flooring as she tried to keep up with him. It felt good to have the upper hand, for once, and he quietly admitted he was enjoying the game of it. He lead her out on one of the balconies. He had to have lived here to know about it, but she doubted that she thought he was anyone else but Ben. He kept to the shadows, and when he heard her burst out onto the balcony, out of breath, dim light streaming out behind her - he reached out for her and took her into a firm grasp. She struggled, and he clamped his gloved hand down over her mouth, hushing her like one might an upset child.

She tried it all, stomping on his foot (which he deftly avoided), biting his hand, which he gave no signal of how much it hurt - and finally he was able to get her turned around. His fingertips dove into the hair at the nape of her neck, grasping it and pulling her head backwards. She looked up at him with gritted teeth and wild eyes, and he pressed his dagger to her fine throat.

"You wouldn't," She breathed out, her tones low. She seemed to be considering whether or not she wanted to shout for the guards, but it was a fifty-fifty chance she'd be heard.

"Wouldn't I?" He purred back, sliding the very sharp blade down the V of her dress before he hitched it underneath the glittering necklace.

"Go on then," She pressed back against the blade.

What he did next surprised her, he could tell it by the look on her face. He cut the necklace with his sharp blade, stepping back into a fighting stance when he heard the jewels go rattling all across the balcony. She couldn't see him smiling, but he was sure she could hear it.

"A gift from my uncle?" He tossed the dagger back and forth, playfully. He felt invincible, as if it didn't matter if he died anymore. "He's got lovely taste in jewelry,"

He expected to see her go scrambling after the jewels, but she didn't - she merely tossed away the remnants of the necklace before they began circling each other like predators. She was looking at his shoulder, and he anticipated her when she tried to drive her hand into it. He ducked back, pushed up against the balcony with his cape swinging out behind him.

"You've gotten better," She said, though it didn't seem she was really in a sparring mood.

She didn't give him much time to recover before she attacked him again, but he could tell she was limited by the dress and she didn't appear to have any sharp objects on her. He slashed her, pleased to see the silk split wide across her finely shaped thigh, baring it to the night air. He laughed, jumping backwards to get out of the way of her swinging. He didn't ever push back, and he could see her growing more and more frustrated with it. Now she might know how he felt.

He managed to side step her again, grasping her and spinning her out as if they were dancing. He pulled her back against his front, bending over her and trying to strong arm her so that she couldn't flail out anymore. He had her at a disadvantage, he knew, but he was glad for it that time. They were both out of breath by the time he pulled her tightly against him, his cloak swallowing her up even as she struggled. She was like a wild, stray feline.

"Enough, enough," He growled, using brute strength to still her for just a moment. "Don't you want to know what I'm doing here? You did chase me all this way,"

"This doesn't suit you, Ben," She murmured, through her teeth.

"I don't believe you know what suits me," She used the moment to try and stomp on his foot again, but he managed to avoid it, again, sending them both backwards, sprawling nearly over the balcony.

He pushed her away, sending her stumbling forward. She recovered quickly, but by the time she had he was standing on the balcony, looking down at her. This had been fun, but he knew his time was growing short.

"What are you going to do, jump?"

"I suppose I could," He wobbled, playfully, looking back and down before he caught himself. He saw her start forward, and he knew he had her. She cared about him.

"I come with a proposition, lady," He said, holding out a rolled up document wrapped in a purple ribbon. "I believe you'll recognize the hand," He said, tilting his head. "And I believe you know how to get a message back to it's writer,"

In the moment it took her to look down at the relayed message, Ben had dropped down into the lower terrace so quickly and quietly even he was surprised at himself. The mask afforded him with all sorts of confidence. He heard her scramble to the edge of the balcony, his names falling off of her lips like a whispered prayer (concern obvious there within), but he was already halfway down the hallway by the time she would realize he wasn't sprawled on the tile below.

* * *

Ben felt pleased with himself by the time the three of them reached the compound, having skated through the streets with as little as notice as possible. He felt as he had when he was a boy, when the world was still full of hope and possibilities. He felt brave, and invisible - and it made all the difference.

Rose was there to meet them, and he thought at first she had news about his mother, but she merely wanted them to relay what they had found, each of them. Sylph went first, pulling all of the papers she'd found out of her satchel and spreading them out. It was hard to make sense of what she'd found, but they could all tell it was a map of some sort. The ink was red, as if it'd been drawn by blood ink. Ben wouldn't have been surprised if it was. Pik had gone with her, and they had only found the map, and a key.

Someone had interrupted them before they'd finished their scourge, and they were forced to make an early exit.

Rose finally turned to Ben.

"And you?" Ben took a moment to untie the mask from his face and shake his hair out.

"I gave her the letter,"

"Good, and no worse for the wear, I see," She said. "Then all we have to do is wait,"

They waited longer than Rose had been perhaps expecting. Almost a week passed before they heard any word from Rey, and they had, all of them, been expecting to have to consider another avenue. Rose and the others poured over the map, trying to make any sort of sense of it, but thus far they'd had no luck. It featured lines and clusters, and there wasn't anything to indicate what was up or down.

The letter was retrieved that morning, and was in Rose's hands by afternoon. It wasn't a long message, and in Rey's hand: I want to see Ben, alone (alone was underlined three or four times). He will know where to meet me.

Ben looked it over and considered it, and Rose seemed to be thinking it over.

"You think she'll try to kill you?" She asked.

"It's possible," He admitted, balling it up and tossing it into the nearby fire.

"If I'm to go alone, then I had better go alone,"

"No, you better not," Rose said.

"She'll know," He admitted. "Isn't she an old hand at all of this?"

Rose looked caught, at that.

"Fine, but take everything in your nasty little arsenal with you," She said, and her word was often law around here.

Rey hadn't specified on a time, so Ben suited up and left. He wore the mask, which had now become his little bit of control, and he made his way to the woods where they'd met as children. Maybe she was planning on re-enacting that fateful day. He hadn't been expecting it, but he saw her standing there in the middle of the clearing with her back turned to him. Her hair was down her back, having been curled. There was a wreath of flowers weaved up into it, and he felt he might almost laugh at the sentimentality of it. She could not expect him to believe anything she might say, not anymore, but he was struck by the oddness of her beauty and the fierce clarity of her standing there.

Hadn't it been what he'd wanted, all those years?

He cracked a branch under his foot purposefully, and she turned around quickly to look at him. It was hard to read her face, but he was thankful she could not read his. She seemed to have a direct line to him, and whatever he was feeling she seemed to know just by looking at him.

"Take that thing off, you look ridiculous,"

Ben didn't respond, he only gave her a deep, respectful bow - his arms spreading out at his sides before he slowly came back up and shook his head abruptly. He was good at playing the part of a court jester. It came easily to him.

"How am I to know you're Ben?" She asked, defensive.

Ben slowly drew his hands out in front of him, removing one of his gloves. There in the meat of his hand was a purple marking in the shape of a bite mark. He tilted his head curiously before sliding his hand back on. She pressed her lips together before drawing forward a few steps. Her gown reminded him of a maiden, bethrothed to a knight of old - suede and doe brown with a glittering gold chain swung around her waist. It brought out the hazel tones in her eyes. Ben took a careful step back, holding his hands up to her. He felt it was important to keep his distance.

"Are you really expecting me to interpret this mime show while we have this conversation?"

Ben nodded his head in response, resolutely. Her irritation with it only spurned his desire to do it. He knew that if he broke down, he would break down all at once and let her come rushing in past his defenses again. This was much easier...for him, at least.

"You have no idea what you're doing, Ben, getting caught up with Rose,"

He remained silent, waiting for her to say something that he might find important.

She continued on.

"I could have kept you safe,"

"I am not yours to keep safe," He said, his deep voice muffled by the mask he wore.

"Ben," She said, exasperated. She took another step closer, her hand reaching out quickly in an attempt to rid him of that mask. He lashed out, gripping her wrist tightly before she could finish the motion.

"Why have you called me here?"

"Come home, Ben," She murmured. "I can still...I can still keep you safe,"

"Until when, _Wildflower_? Until he realizes what you've been doing and it comes down to me, or your friend?"

She looked shocked.

"Or should I say, your sister?"

"How do you know about that?"

"Rose," He admitted. "It makes sense now, what you've been doing. There's someone else involved,"

"You still don't understand," She said, yanking her wrist away from his grasp.

"So, enlighten me," He dropped his hand to his side. "You've brought me this far,"

"Only if you promise to take that thing off,"

Finally, he relented. He untied it and spirited it away into his cloak. She seemed relieved when she saw his face. He managed to keep it emotionless, and blank.

"He spent years telling me what an evil scourge you were on the world," She admitted. "And when I met you, I thought I believed it. And even after you'd lived, he continued to tell me how much better it would be if you died. And when I displayed just a moment's hesitation, my sister disappeared," Rey said, looking at him. If she was looking for empathy, she did not find it there. "She's been missing for years," She said, dropping her eyes to the ground below. I don't even know if she's still alive, but I have to try to keep her alive until I at least know for sure,"

She took another step forward. This time he stood his ground. She reached for his hands.

"I didn't know that my feelings about you would change so completely," She admitted.

She dropped the jewels that were left from the necklace into his hand, where they sparkled against the dark backdrop of his glove. "You gave this to me," She said, her voice sad.

Ben didn't remember giving her the necklace. He hadn't even thought it seemed familiar, but now that he saw the jewels glittering away in the palm of his hand, flashes of memory came back to him. He'd asked his mother for it one day, and after some waylaying, she had given it to him. A boy of twelve asking for something so fine, only his mother would lack in the care of it to give it over to him. His memories surrounding that time were as foggy as his current thoughts.

Ben released a sigh, thinking that this grew more complicated by each passing breath he took.

"Help Rose find her," He finally said, looking at her in that hopeful way that he once had when he'd been a boy. "Help me take my kingdom back,"

"What you're asking me to do," She sniffed. "Do you think he won't realize?"

"I think you have a good chance of making sure he doesn't," Ben wasn't stupid enough to believe that his uncle might think he was dead, but maybe there was a small kernel in his uncle's brain that believed it. The more comfortable he got, the lazier he would get.

"He wants me to marry him,"

Ben felt like he'd been punched in his gut, and all of the air went out of his lungs.

"Of course he does," He said breathlessly, taking a step back and turning so she wouldn't see his face.

"Ben?" She ventured after a few moments. He turned around, having schooled himself.

"Tell him you'll marry him. Use it to your advantage," He said. She looked as if she'd been punched herself. "The more information you can weasel out of him while he has his guard down, the better. We can find your sister and get her free of him, and then maybe you might have a chance of being free of him,"

"But how will I ever be free of you?" She asked.

Ben looked down to the ground. He wanted to run away from her. He didn't want her to be this close. He thought of her outstretched fingertips digging themselves into the flesh of his beating heart. He kissed her this time, his mouth connecting with hers in such a way that felt that if he could only devour her whole, he would. It was fierce, and she pushed back against him with equal ferocity. If they could only devour each other whole. He felt un-tethered, his fingertips grasping the hair at the back of her neck, guiding her head back with a slight tug so that he could have more access to her mouth. She gave him a pleased moan in response, though he could taste her salty tears now running down her cheeks.

Ben heard a rustle, and then a snap. He broke himself away from her, inhaling a huge breath of air while she did the same. He took one moment to look at her, her mouth kiss swollen and pretty pink before he disappeared back the way he came. He called - _find me when you make up your mind_ \- and was gone, leaving her standing there alone in the wood.

* * *

 **zorro kylo. revelations. kiss porn. comment/share if you like! it really helps me to keep going.**


	12. Chapter 12

He felt feverish, running silently through the wood. His face was hot and his heart was thudding in his chest. It came on him fervently; he loved her. Despite all that she had done, and the lies she had told, and the truths she had never bothered to tell him at all. He knew with every step that it would have to be her who rescued herself from Luke. He had no grand delusions of doing such a thing, he could try it and she might just walk right back into his arms. Ben knew the truth about being so emotionally tied to someone that it was difficult to peel yourself away from them. Especially if one was afraid.

He worried that she might have been lost to it.

She had once asked him to trust her, and now he found she must trust him.

When he returned to the compound, he felt marginally more composed. The meeting had unsettled him. Rose was not there to meet him, and the place seemed unusually quiet. Rose disappeared like the strange thing she was, off and on, trying to pull together parts of a puzzle that he and Rey had started. Ben was staring at the strange map that they had found in his uncles' study, and the more he looked, the more he thought it looked familiar. He took a thin piece of parchment and traced out the strange red lines and clusters before laying it down over a map of the kingdom. The little clusters laid in obvious places, the Palace, Brendol's manse, and the place where Ben had almost died.

Ben kept looking at it, trying to make sense of it. It had to be where Luke was taking people. There would be no other explanation for it. It made sense, especially considering Brendol, and where he'd found Snoke. Ben had had no idea it had been going on under his nose. He tried to think back, had people gone missing? Had he been arrogant and stupid enough to ignore it? It was possible that he just hadn't noticed, as the Palace seemed to be a revolving door of servants. He hadn't realized that Rose had snuck up on him. He was surprised when he looked up to find Finn standing behind her.

"What's he doing here?" Ben asked, standing up and trying to cover the map with his body.

"He found us, said he wanted to talk to you,"

Finn stared between the two of them before Rose got the hint.

"Guess I'll go then," She said, awkwardly.

Finn gave him a low bow, before he stood up straight. Ben looked at him curiously.

"I come here to fulfill my duty," He admitted.

"How did you find us?"

"Rose and I are old friends,"

"That seems to be the theme,"

Finn stayed silent, the joke seeming to pass over his head. Maybe he just ignored it.

"You are released from your duty," Ben said simply. He had no reason to drag Finn or his men into this mess, though perhaps it was too late for that.

"Luke has no respect for anything," He finally said. "Not life, not death...nothing. I would stay by your side,"

It shocked Ben to hear such a thing coming from him.

"He'll notice you're missing,"

"He already knows where you are," Finn said. "He's just waiting for the right time to rip the rug out from underneath all of us. It's better if we give up pretenses and stand together, if we can. Now that your mother is safe, I think that there is no place for me at that palace, as it is now,"

Ben was even more shocked when he saw his father looming out of the corner of his eye.

"He's right, kid," Han said, seeming sheepish that he was even there. "I brought your uncle around because I thought he would be good for you, but I never expected this,"

Ben was so shocked it took him a few moments to formulate any words, when he finally did, he asked:

"Let me guess, you're an old friend of Rose's too?"

"Something like that," Han said, a smirk lifting his lips just a bit. "That, and you know I have shit experience for being a regent,"

* * *

People began defecting from the palace more quickly than Ben had ever thought they would. It seemed that most everything was out in the open now, but he noticed one face missing among those that came to see Rose. It seemed her presence there was no secret to a lot of people, and perhaps the Guard didn't bother her because she paid them off. He didn't know how her presence had gone unnoticed by his uncle, but maybe he hadn't made the connection. There seemed to be room for everyone, however, and Ben found himself in the company of those who had once been servants, valets, stable hands, and guards.

He was surprised at the outpouring, having been sure he'd been so alone within those walls. He supposed that had been part of his uncle's ploy. When an ant was alone, it was just an ant. It was easy to squash. When there were thousands of them, it was an entirely different story. Rose sent her agents to check out each little cluster that Ben had pointed out on the map, but Brendol's was still a sore point. Ben wished he could talk to Rey about the girl she'd sent into the house, and what she might have found out. That is, if she was still in his employ. They had dug as instructed, and just as he'd expected there had been a whole operation down below the compound, but it looked as if Luke had gotten wind of it and moved it. They needed to find it in action, they needed to do it not just to prove it to themselves, but to prove it to the entire kingdom.

Ben had his own reasons for wanting to know where Luke had migrated the operation to. He hoped that he would find Rey's sister, though he had no idea who she was or what she might even look like. He hoped that one day, Rose would come to him with a letter asking to meet him again, but the time passed slowly and grew more painful each day he went without word.

There were many nights when he woke up in a sweat; not from nightmares, but from dreams that came pushing against him so fiercely and pleasantly that he felt awash in a heat he had yet to experience. There were nights when she seemed so real, he thought he might wake up and reach out and find her next to him, but it always seemed to end up as a disappointment...just a dream. He thought that they were worse than nightmares, they filled him so full of a sharp want that it was difficult to shake himself free of it.

The days were busy ones. His father was good at ferreting out what information he could, and there was a good deal of gossip that had gone utterly above their heads. Han stayed with Leia, seeming to regret his past years of absence, though Ben could never get a clear read on his father. It was possible that Luke had sent him, but his father never was very good at picking sides. He tended to go with the odds, which made Ben sure that it had been a compliment.

Ben would say for certain that the troupe didn't seem to take everything as seriously as he might have. They had pored over everything that they could for the nineteenth time, and they all seemed to be of the belief that the answers would come with time, but that wasn't going to stop them from getting raucously drunk in the dining hall and singing bawdy drinking songs. It was one such night that Ben found himself in the dining hall, having avoided eating as usual. He leaned in the door way and watched with a faint smile and vague interest as he watched all of these people get drunk together and try to remember which lyric was which. Many new bawdy drinking songs were made up this way. Maybe Luke wasn't entirely wrong about everything. Maybe Kings and Princes were of the past. He did not approve of Luke's methods, however true it might have been.

"You never eat, or drink," Rose said, coming up to him with a pitcher of what looked like fizzy ale and a roasted bird leg. "Good for on the go," She said, tearing into the meat with her teeth.

"I'm not hungry often,"

"I know that to be a falsehood, Prince!" She said, taking a sip of the beer. "Go," She said simply.

"What do you mean?" He asked curiously.

"Go on and get her, idiot,"

Ben flushed, turning his gaze away.

"She's not safe there, and she probably thinks she's doing the right thing, but Luke is gonna do what Luke is gonna do no matter how much she lets him beat her up,"

"You're right," Ben said. "But I can't force her to come here,"

"I think you could probably convince her," Rose said, taking another bite of the meat before hopping up onto a nearby piece of furniture and pulling her legs up beneath her. Ben stayed silent. She sighed. "Listen, tell her what we know, it'll show her that you trust her. Tell her that there's hope that we'll find her sister. Plus, we need to know what she found out about Brendol's, if anything,"

Ben thought it over. He thought, maybe, it was worth a try.

"I'll send someone with you,"

"Don't, I feel like this is something I have to do," He admitted. "I'll be fine," And besides that, everyone seemed thoroughly intoxicated.

"Fiine," Rose said, already a bit drunk. "But don't go dying on us, not when we're just gathering up steam. Give Lukey a kiss for me if you see him," She mooned, giving him an awful face that made a bubble of laughter come up from the depths of his throat. "AH ha! So he can laugh!"

She shoved him off before she returned to the festivities. He had to wonder how drunk she was, to let him go rambling back to the palace alone, but he wasn't about to turn his nose up at the opportunity. He pulled on the clothes he'd been fitted with, though this time, he left behind the mask. Rey didn't seem to care for it, and it might not help his cause. He was determined to walk back into this place with her at his side – and he was ready to argue for it. Rey seemed to enjoy a good argument.

The thought of seeing her again after weeks of distance filled him with a sort of lightness and clarity. He felt as if he had direction for the first time in his life, a direction he had chosen and not one that had been chosen for him. He kept to the dark, and found his way back easily. It was a place he'd known his entire life, and it was hard to believe now that he hadn't been there for nearly a month. It was hard to believe that one day he might take it back over. The Palace was eerily quiet. The guard wasn't exactly light, however. Ben could see that Snoke's thugs had been posted at various places, though he saw no sign of Snoke. This would not be the type of job he would be relegated to. Ben wasn't afraid anymore. He felt he was prepared when the time came, but he didn't think that it would be now.

It was dark, dimly light like a hostel from the dark ages, and Ben decided he would attempt to scale it. He found no need to try and get through the guard, and he had taken much the same path before. There was a tree that lead up to a wing of the palace that was rarely used, and he climbed up through it's familiar branches. His body did not protest as it once had, and the friendly tree deposited him nicely in the area he had been expecting. Despite the struggle with the latch on his window, it seemed that his normally detail oriented uncle hadn't thought much about securely locking up this old wing.

Ben would have been lucky to find her in her chambers, but he wasn't sure that that wasn't just the first place he would start. He half expected that he would find her married to his uncle, and this would have been an incredibly futile and depressing endeavor. He found his way to a secret passageway that he remembered from trolling the palace as a boy, and weaved through the labyrinthine corridors before he reached the room where they had been meeting before all of this had happened.

He hadn't been expecting to find her there so easily, but there she was. The fire burned low and she was curled up on the cot that he'd often slept on, his fur lined cloak having been wrapped around her shoulders for warmth. She slept, her face peaceful. Ben was glad to find that she had no more black eyes, but he did notice the dark circles beneath her eyes. Perhaps she had been sleeping about as well as he had been. He watched her for a few moments, before he took a careful seat at the edge of the cot, managing not to shift it so much that it woke her.

She had been burning sage and lavender in here, and there were flowers in vases placed randomly around the room. Ben found he didn't mind it. He found he could likely watch her for awhile, but he realized that he might not have much time. He reached out with his gloved hand, sliding a bit of hair behind her ear. The gentle touch was enough to wake her, but when her eyes opened they widened in fear before she realized who she was looking at.

"Ben," She said, surprised.

"Apologies, lady," He said, trying on charm for the moment. He hoped to break the ice between them. "I didn't mean to startle you,"

"How did you get in?"

"It wasn't difficult,"

"Did anyone see you?"

"No," He murmured in reply, watching as she drew up and realized she was wearing his cloak. Defensively, she said: "It's cold down here,"

"It looks well on you," He said simply, drawing the fur up with two hands so that it was more tightly clasped around her.

"You look different," She said, finding herself obviously at odds with his sudden openness.

"How do you mean, lady?" He asked, a small smirk lifting his handsome mouth.

"Stop that," She said, her cheeks flushing pleasantly.

"That's not an answer," He said, carefully.

"Peaceful," She said simply.

"I want you to come with me," He finally said. "I should have said it a long while ago now,"

"I can't," She responded evenly, turning her head to look away from him.

"Why not?" He kept his tone even, curious.

"You know why not," She said, standing up to put some distance between them. He had never realized it, but perhaps she was as fearful of this as he had been.

"Rey," He said, his tones low. "Every day that you stay in this palace is another day that Luke might find he has no more use for you,"

"Ben," She said, her tones suddenly pleading. "Please stop this,"

He stood up, closing the distance between them. He removed his gloves, setting them aside. There was the barest outline of where she'd bit him, a few weeks ago, but he only took her hands within his own. They were cold. His were warm. She looked up to him, shaking her head, though he found that her features weren't angry or sorrowful. She looked slightly amused.

"What is it?" He asked.

"You're different," She repeated.

"Yes, you keep saying that,"

She reached up, her fingertips grasping in the neck of his doublet, her fingertips bunching up the fabric as she pulled him down. She kissed him, hesitantly at first before he leaned into her. Her hands slid around his neck and he slid his own beneath the cloak she wore, fingertips grabbing the silky fabric of her nightgown and pulling it tight against her frame, fabric bunched in his fingertips. It was the type of kiss that robbed him of his breath and made his thoughts muddy, so when she pulled away from him he found himself releasing a sort of pleased, addled noise of surprise.

"As much as I would like to believe you aren't trying to distract me from the task at hand," He said, pressing a few parting kisses to her lips. "I believe that you are,"

"Still can't trust me?" She asked, her dark eyes shining in the dim light.

"I trust you," He murmured, lifting his hands to cup her face. "I love you,"

It just sort of fell out before he even realized what he'd said. She looked so utterly surprised that her mouth fell open just a bit. Out of all the things she had been expecting him to say, it was clear that was not one of them. This was Ben, defended, solitary, mistrustful Ben. She seemed to be waiting for him to take it back after he realized it had slipped out, but he didn't – which forced them into a sort of staring competition. He leaned into her, pressing his forehead against her own and closing his eyes for just a moment. They stayed like that for a few moments before he pulled back.

"Rey," He began, quietly. "If you don't feel the same, all you need do is tell me. Tell me not to come back, and I won't," He admitted. "But we need your help, I need your help," He repeated.

"Ben," She said, pulling back again. "I can't do that,"

"Tell me about your sister,"

"You really should go," She said again, looking at her hands.

"I am not leaving here until you agree to go with me,"

"You might not be allowed to leave, then,"

"All the better,"

"You're serious, aren't you?"

"Something about this seemed like a jest?" He teased.

Rey pulled her knees up to her chin, and he was reminded distinctly of when she was a girl.

"I know what it's like to feel indebted to someone," He said softly. "And even worse, I know what it's like to feel indebted to someone who would rather stick a knife in you than not. This isn't the girl I knew...remaining here and waiting for the other shoe to fall,"

* * *

Rey stood up and pulled him off of the cot. She pressed her finger in front of her lips and grasped his hand, slowly making her way back through the cold passageways into her own. She quietly packed a bag, and Ben realized when he tried to talk that she was being guarded. There was someone standing just outside of the door of her bedroom. He didn't know how far this had gone, but he could tell that she was tense and uncomfortable with the thought of someone following her every move. It seemed that uncle Luke had gotten paranoid. Ben helped her gather what he could, and turned around so that she could dress. She left his cloak on the bed, and they crept back through the passageway door.

They were silent during the trek, though they held hands when they could and walked close together when the space made it possible. Ben was much less distracted than he had been when it came to sneaking around, and he thought they had a good chance of getting out of here undetected. They crept up to the silent, unoccupied wing with the intention of going through the window the way they had come, but they were to be interrupted. There stood Luke, dressed as Ben had never seen him before – all hard edges and lines. All in black, with a sword drawn and rested coolly in his hands. He had never seen Luke fight, but that did not mean he was about to underestimate that his uncle could not. He had cultivated an image of being harmless, but Ben supposed they were now at a crossroads that dictated that they were no longer keeping up with that image.

Ben stood back, and Rey dropped the bag she'd been carrying with her.

"Nephew, I really thought you were smarter than this," He said. He looked at Rey, but the surprise on her face indicated that, for once, she hadn't known about this. "I knew you'd come back for her," He spat, motioning to Rey as if she was simply a pawn.

"No you didn't," Ben said, taking his stance and sliding his dagger from it's sheath.

"What do you intend to do with that?" Luke laughed out.

"Luke, let him go, I'll stay,"

"You really think that this is about you, stupid girl?"

He didn't waste time standing there and soliloquizing, and he attacked with much more force than Ben was expecting. He fended his uncle off the best he could, though he had to do much more evading than actual defending. He spied Rey, cutting down a few of his thugs with a gritted look of anger on her face. Something had changed her mind completely, and perhaps it had been the way Luke had spoken to her. Ben became distracted from fending his uncle off when he heard her groan, someone had nicked her, and it caused Luke to exploit the moment, sticking the tip of his knife into the meat of his arm. Ben reeled backwards, feeling the blood streak down his arm. His uncle was faster and stronger than he might have ever imagined, and while he stumbled backwards, he slipped his hand into his cloak. Luke watched him, blinking briefly before Ben blew the fine powder right into his uncle's face. He didn't think it would be enough to knock him out, considering that he had built up a resistance to most things, but it caused him to stumble backwards blindly.

Luke laughed, his husky chuckle now frightening where it had once been comforting.

"What is this?" Luke said, trying to wipe it from his face, though Ben could see the effects of it and he could see his uncle trying to weigh off against it.

"You should know, uncle," Ben said, planting his boot squarely into his uncle's middle and shoving him backwards with all of his might.

Rey had managed to disarm the thugs, but one of them had escaped and was likely off alerting the others. Ben grabbed her things and stepped over his ailing uncle, wishing he was actually as frail and feeble minded as people thought him to be. He resisted the urge to kick him, if they stayed any longer they might not make it out of here. Ben didn't know how many people his uncle had hired in his absence; and he was sure that there were more than a few of the previous guard left.

"Rey," Luke said, causing them both to pause and glance backwards. "She's dead," He giggled out, like some maniac. "She's been dead for years,"

Rey froze, surprise on her face. Whatever trust she'd had left in him he'd snapped with a few simple words. Ben thought it was because he supposed he didn't need her anymore, and there was no use in continuing to pretend that the reason why she stayed with him was even alive anymore. Ben watched her as shock took her over, grasping her. She fell against him, her frame limp and weak. Ben was forced to pick her up, ducking to lift her up by her legs and keep her from falling. She seemed as if she was about to fall. Perhaps she had known, but to hear the truth of it confirmed had to devastate her.

He had to scale the tree with her clinging to his back, but thankfully she was light and she was still within her wits enough to keep herself attached to him. Ben heard the palace coming to life, and he made the decision to cut out into the woods. They might have a better chance of avoiding detection out there, or at least he thought they might until he heard the damn dogs. He groaned, thinking that this night could have gotten worse, but he didn't know how many tricks his uncle had up his sleeves.

"Go that way," Rey said softly, pointing. "Put me down,"

"Are you sure?"

He felt her nodding softly against his back, and he let her down onto her feet, watching her to make sure she could really regain herself before he completely let her go.

"I'm sorry, Rey," He murmured, though they didn't have much time to continue speaking about it.

They only had time to run.

* * *

i knoooow that i deleted all of my stories, but i was feeling discouraged about the lack of response compared to other stories so i thought i was being smart but i was being dumb so i'm sorrrryyy! thanks to you if you want to stick with me even after i deleted all my junk. i won't do it again. all of it's been restored!


	13. Chapter 13

It was a long night, and a few times they were sure they had been caught. They were lucky when the sun rose and the search was called off, forcing the two of them to make their way silently back through the wood into the town. Rose was glad to see the both of them, and Rey stood stalwart, obviously intending to pick up some old grudge. Rose just pulled her into an awkward hug, and welcomed her.

Ben relayed what had happened, and it dawned on all of them that they might not have as much time as they were hoping. They were exhausted, but Rey spoke about what she had found out about Brendol's manse before the girl had unfortunately gone missing. They, all of them, sat in silence, trying to work out what the next move should be. They could wait it out and see if Luke would come for them, or they could try to suss out what was going on at the locations that Luke had marked on his weird map. It was a bad day to be hungover, and Ben could tell that most of them were. Rey sat quietly, looking drawn and pale. He decided, for all of them, that they at least had a day to regroup.

Ben watched as the group split off, likely to go nurse hangovers with the hair of the dog. He watched as Rey remained sitting, her eyes distant and glazed. She wasn't there with them at all. He leaned down in front of her, his cloak gathering up dust behind him. They were torn, dirty, and a bit bloody. The physical didn't seem to matter so much as Rey seemed fractured in some small way after having heard the news. There was a chance that his uncle had been lying, but he didn't know the chances that the girl would survive now after what happened.

"Rey," He tried, trying to get her to look at him. "Come with me," He said, and she finally did.

He lead her into his small chamber, and sat her down in a chair. There was a fresh carafe of warm water and he poured it out into a beaten copper bowl, dipping one of the rags in it. She had done this for him once, it seemed only fair to return the favor. He pulled away the torn bits of fabric from the blade she'd caught in her breastbone, glad to find that it was mostly superficial. It had bled a lot, but when he wiped it away it was a shallow wound. She was watching him, a small smile lifting the corners of her lips.

"What's funny?" He asked, playfully.

"Oh, only that there's a fugitive prince attending to me," She teased back.

"Fugitive might be the only identifier you need," He said, watching her suck in a bit of air through her teeth as he applied a poultice that stung for a moment. "Sorry," He murmured, holding down on it before making sure it was properly applied. "Still unsure about the prince part,"

"Ben," She questioned. "What you said...did you mean it?"

"What? The bit about the fugitive prince?" He smirked, looking up at her after he finished off the job.

"No," She replied evenly. "The bit about-"

"Me loving you?" He asked. "I'm not sure, I might have changed my mind,"

She shoved him playfully, though her happiness was short lived. Her face crumpled and she started to cry, the sobs wracking her frame as she tried to keep silent. He stood up, unsure of what he could do to help her. Perhaps she didn't need help. He took her into the wide expanse of his arms and held her, letting her cry until her face was puffy and what was left of his shirt was wet with her tears.

She cried until she exhausted herself with it and fell asleep, curled simply against Ben's much larger frame. He didn't interrupt her, instead choosing to remain there with her until she had cried it all out of her system. He fell asleep shortly after she had, propped up with his arms wrapped around her. They slept for hours, until someone came knocking on his door to make sure that she was well.

He gently shifted Rey down into the small bed and stood up, slinging his torn cloak aside and opening the door. It was Finn, with a small mug of hot herb tea. He peered behind Ben, seeing Rey there asleep. He didn't seem upset, only concerned.

"Is she alright?"

"I'm not sure," Ben answered honestly, taking the herb tea as it was offered.

"Thought she could use this,"

"Thanks,"

"Rose wants to see us all in a half hour," He relayed, and Ben nodded, carefully shutting the door after he'd gone.

Ben turned and lifted his torn shirt over his head, shaking his lengthy hair out and tossing it aside to perhaps be mended later, if it could survive the ordeal, anyway. He heard Rey exhale and thought she had merely shifted in her sleep, though he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he realized she was looking at the expanse of his scarred back. He turned, glancing at her with a sort of impish smirk, and she responded it kind, though she made no coy move to look away from him.

He moved to retrieve the steaming mug of tea that Finn had brought, setting himself down at the edge of the bed and offering it up to her. She sat up slowly, though he could tell she was a bit stiff and her face was still a bit puffy from having expended all of her tears the night before. She took the tea, though as he moved to continue the process of getting dressed, she set it aside and grasped his wrist. He was pulled back to the bed, nearly atop of her. He felt her fingertips splay against his jawline and she kissed him again.

The kiss was slow and generous, much more exploratory than the previous ones had been. He returned it in kind, unable to find it in him to pull away from her. He thought she might be seeking oblivion in it, and thought he ought to pull away, but maybe he would do so after a few moments longer. He settled against her as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Her legs wrapped around him, vising him into place. Her forwardness had always surprised him, but he felt now was not the time to go running with his tail 'twixt his legs. His hips gave a slow roll, and both of them felt the friction of it. She broke the kiss, giving a pleased little moan.

He kissed her chin and the soft flesh of her neck, causing her to turn her head and exhale a bit of breathy laughter. His mouth landed on the sweet dip of flesh that rested between her collar bones; he had wanted to taste the skin there since he'd met her again. Her skin was sweet and smelled of lavender, and he had the urge to bury his nose into her hair. He felt her fingertips tracing the planes of his arms and chest, causing goosebumps to rise to the skin from the brief, light contact.

When the loud knock on the door came, it shocked them both awake, as if someone had tossed a bucket of cold water onto them. Rey looked at him, amused in her surprise and pressing her finger to her lips as if to hush them both.

"Ben," It was Finn. "We're waiting on you," He seemed vaguely irritated, but then his tones were always sort of abrupt.

"On my way," He said, as smoothly as he could manage.

Rey took a deep breath of air and fell back flat against the cot, and Ben could see her trying not to laugh. He pressed his hand over her mouth playfully before he kissed her forehead and (regrettably) untangled himself from her. She watched him go, a lady in repose before he raised his eyebrows in her direction as if to ask her if she planned to get out of the bed. She did so slowly, and Ben watched her. Every movement she made seemed to intentionally tease him, and he pulled a fresh shirt on over his dark curls.

"Lady, what will they say about your reputation?" He teased.

"Nothing, I'll wager," She teased back, leaning up onto her tip toes to plant another kiss to his mouth.

He tucked his shirt in and pulled a vest on over it, buttoning it up and taking a moment to tug his boots on. She dressed herself, both of them watching one another with playful smirks and simmering gazes. Ben, however, was perhaps a bit glad for the interruption. He couldn't imagine trying to take advantage of her when she was obviously feeling so very low.

* * *

"The king and queen finally decide to join us!" Rose said, putting them immediately on the spot in front of the entire hall.

"I live to make you wait, Rose," He responded, and she laughed. Even with all of the bad goings-on, Rose never seemed to lose her sense of humor or joviality.

"Apologies," Rey said, some of her brazenness draining away.

Rose had something in her hand, and upon closer inspection Ben saw it was an invitation from the palace. Rose held it up high before she started to pass it around. Each person took it, looking it over and handing it off to the next.

"Seems like Uncle Luke is making a bold move," Rose said, looking at Ben.

When Ben looked at the invitation, he realized it was for a coronation party. Of course, there was no need for him to wait to try and take the throne. The stone was missing and so was his sister, and maybe he meant to fool the kingdom regarding the entire matter. Ben wasn't sure what had happened to the vote, but he hadn't stuck around to find out. He thought it was likely that he could do no less than to try and make it seem as if it was intentional. Ben handed it off to Rey, who barely looked at it and handed it off to the next person.

"Let me guess," Ben started. "You're wanting us to crash the party?"

"Yup!" Rose said, taking the invitation back with a flourish. "You will have to come with us, but I think Luke will be looking for you," Rose was pondering, and tapped her chin with her index finger.

"Isn't this a bit insane?" Rey asked. "Waltzing back into that place?"

"Maybe, but what other shot will we have? It's probably better not to just sit here and wait for him to smoke us out, or let this get any worse than it already has,"

"How did you get a hold of the invite?" Ben asked.

"Lifted it off of one of the guards," She admitted.

"Right," Ben said in reply, "Why should I be surprised at that?"

"We'll go under the guise of entertainment," She muttered. "You two will have to find another way in. I don't think it's smart to try and smuggle you through the front doors again,"

"And then what?" Ben asked, glancing at Rey.

"Half of us are gonna go to Brendol's," She said. "It'll be mostly empty since he's invited. We're gonna get down underneath the manse and see if we can find those missing people. It makes sense that they would be there,"

"So you want us to do what, exactly?" Rey asked.

"Luke's got something planned, and my guess is he's dramatic enough to do it on the night of a big party," She admitted. "I want you to figure out what it is,"

Ben pressed his lips together, and thought to speak out against the plan, but he kept silent. It was a silent agreement between all of them then.

That night, he found his way to the dusty old fighting ring. It was empty, and he picked up one of the old swords that could likely use some care, but it didn't matter. All he really wanted to do was swing it around. His thoughts were occupied with the party, as it was only a few days away. It seemed there had been too many parties these days, but this one would be one that he wasn't directly involved in. He was trying to avoid thinking of Rey, but she sought him out anyway.

He saw her standing with her arms crossed over her chest, watching him move through his practice. He stopped, letting the sword hang a bit before turning to watch her. She smiled. She looked better than she had this morning. She had washed and her hair was back into it's normal, shiny knots. She had dressed in her favored grey, though even then she managed to look luminescent. She seemed truer this way, more herself.

"Any tips, maester?" He asked, finding the pull he felt towards her was difficult to avoid.

"None," she admitted. "You've improved,"

"You're all flattery," He said, setting the sword aside and taking a moment to remove his gloves. He tucked them into the belt that kept his breeches up.

"No, I'm honest," She said. "Especially when it comes to this,"

They stood a short distance apart, both of them seeming to keep it in an attempt to be careful. They were both obviously afraid of what might happen if they got too close.

"Still not eating?" She asked, motioning to the noise coming from the impromptu mess hall.

"I'm uneasy about it, yes," He admitted, for the first time.

"Why?"

"Because an incredibly lovely young girl fed me muckberry wine when I was a young boy," He teased. She flinched. Maybe it was too soon to jest about it.

"Ben, I'm sorry,"

"You've apologized enough," He said, watching her closely before she looked back up to him.

"If I don't..." She started. "If I don't make it through this, I wanted you to know..." She paused, and he thought she might know what she might have been about to say, but she constantly surprised him. "You were my first real friend, too,"

"You'll make it through this," Ben said, firmly. "You have to,"

"Why's that?"

"Because I intend to spend the rest of my life trying to pay you back for poisoning me," He teased, drawing a bit closer.

"Do you?" She laughed. "I'm not sure I like the sound of that,"

Ben was sure that he did like the sound of it.

* * *

The night came on them quickly.

Rose had split the team into halves, dividing the stronger parts of the team equally among both halves. His father was to go to Brendols, and he was to go back to the Palace, ever drawn back like a planet within it's orbit. He supposed it was his birthright, and it would not be that easy to shake off. He half expected his mother to wake up, but she didn't, and remained sleeping peacefully in her small chamber. There would be a small group of people to remain and look after her, in case this was part of Luke's plan.

Rey was dressed like a boy. They bound her chest down with bandages and gave her a flattened, stiff fitting leather chest piece. Rose even painted a bit of wispy facial hairs on her, and she looked a bit like an awkward teenager who was just beginning the long journey of puberty.

Ben donned his mask and his cape, hopefully for the last time. They hoped it would be less suspicious than any other disguise. The party was not a masque, but he might draw less attention this way.

They were to be hidden in the back of the horse cart, which was packed with ice for the party. They were in close quarters, especially with his new hunch back, but somehow they managed to make it work. The Palace was lit up with a thousand lights made of every different color, and Ben had to wonder at the extravagance. He had never seen such a display, even in all the time he'd been there. The guards stopped them at the gate, and Rose had to do some verbal tap dancing to get them past the gate. The guards only checked the ice, and Rey and Ben held their breaths as they waited to be allowed through. Ben was ready to be done with this devilry, at least for a good deal of time.

He hoped it was the last time he was going to have to sneak into a place for awhile.

The cart was drawn around into the courtyard that connected to the servants entrance. Rose and the troupe had disappeared into the building, under the guise of entertainment, but Ben and Rey were forced to wait as the ice was unloaded and the servants were distracted with further preparations of food and drink.

Ben was the first to hop down from the cart, hearing it creak under his weight before his booted feet landed with a thump in the dust. He offered a gloved hand for Rey, whom he had to hold back a chuckle after looking at, and helped her down from the cart. He could tell it wasn't the first time Rey had dressed as a man, as she seemed to have some experience with mimicking movements and attitude. One of the valets stopped them, advising them to reveal their pass that allowed them to be there.

"Our troupe leader 'as it," Rey said, affecting the deepest voice she could. Ben didn't talk at all, but he loomed.

The valet stood there and Ben stared him down, and eventually he must have become unsettled by the constant, eerie gaze beneath the mask that he gave in and allowed them past. When they were in a quiet spot, Rey leaned into him and whispered: It's awfully strange how many times you have to sneak into your own was a bare whisper, and Ben gave a small chuckle in return, but he didn't reply other than that.

They had direction on where to go. Rose seemed awfully well versed in the palace, as Ben was sure he had walked every part of it until she pointed out an entire, empty space on a map that she had from somewhere. She had probably lifted it from one of the guards, after all. They followed along the hallways, watching as the drifting party-goers thinned until it was just the two of them. They hid around corners and ducked into empty rooms when it seemed they might be discovered, but once the music started up, it seemed most of the revelers had gone to the ballroom. Rose planned to hold off the "coronation" for as long as possible.

Ben had the stone in the pocket that lay against his breast, and he patted it occasionally to reassure himself that it was still there. It might be the only thing that would rescue them from this whole cockamamie plan; but he had to admit he was afraid what might happen if he handed that girl the stone. What if what Luke said was true? What if he had a claim to the throne? Ben thought he might have been too focused on the what-ifs of the throne instead of what they might find lurking beneath his own home.

When they came upon the area that Rose had drawn out on the map, they found there was no obvious entrance. Ben began to think that it might have been an old, incorrect map. Rey began knocking, trying to listen for a hollow sound. Eventually, the knocking did ring hollow, but it was hidden behind a heavy armament of brick and mortar. Someone had been trying to hide it.

"How are we to get back there without drawing any attention?" Ben asked, glancing at Rey who seemed to be puzzling it over.

"I remember coming across a door in the passageway that I realized I didn't know where it lead," She admitted. "I didn't think much of it at the time, the door was locked, but the location of it would make sense,"

That meant that they would have to go back through to his chambers, or hers, though his seemed to be the quickest route. It was risky, considering there was more of a chance they might be seen, but they both realized that there might not be any other choice. They made their way back across the palace, creeping slowly towards his chambers. They were locked, but Rey had taken her trusty lock-pit kit with her. She managed to throw it easily. The door creaking seemed so loud echoing down the hallway that Ben winced, but they were behind it in no time. Ben felt strange being there again, but he didn't have the time to mull over it. They disappeared through the passageway and down into the chill, damp dark.

Rey lead the way, taking wrong turns occasionally. Ben was worried they might run out of time, but he didn't think barking at her to hurry would encourage her memory any. He followed her, before she seemed to find the path she remembered. Ben realized he had never gone this far, it was a blank in his memory as if he hadn't even known it existed at all. Maybe he hadn't.

The door was locked, and Rey dropped down to examine it. There was light pouring through the key hole. She began fiddling with her lock pick, though it took her a good deal more time to figure this lock out than it had his bedroom lock. She had picked his chamber lock before, obviously. This one she hadn't even bothered with, and it was as if there was some sort of spell on it that washed it from memory. Finally, after a long period of time and a half melted candle taper that Ben held in his hand (having stolen it from his room), she heard the lock turn and the door slightly crept open.

The room looked rather plain.

There was a chair by the door and a small fire blazing in the hearth. Ben saw evidence of someone having been in the middle of dinner before they had been interrupted. He realized that whoever this person had been had probably heard Rey picking the lock. They realized it too late, as someone came bursting through the door. Ben's heart sunk into his stomach when he recognized Snoke's pockmarked, battle scarred face. Of course, of course it would be Snoke.

* * *

He had a good clump of men with him, and a few of them had leveled cross bows right at their chests. Ben didn't hold up his hands, though Snoke was watching him for sudden movements. He seemed so pleased about Ben's presence there, and though he had initially looked past Rey, he realized who she was.

"Convincing disguise," He murmured, though the pleasantries weren't to last. "Your uncle thought you might show up. I'm surprised you made it this far. We did enough to try and keep you from this place all these years,"

Ben didn't say anything, only examined the surroundings and the number of men Snoke had brought with him. Snoke's big fault was that he thought that surrounding himself with muscle might solve his problems - though Ben was prepared this time. He wasn't about to see what Snoke would do. He took action. He moved so quickly that Snoke was surprised, grasping the man who held the cross bow and flinging him across the room like he was no more than a doll. Ben held the crossbow now, and he leveled it at Snoke.

"Here we go again," Snoke said, watching and waiting. He seemed to enjoy drawing Ben out.

Rey reached out, putting her hand on top of the crossbow. Ben wanted to kill him, but Rey tempered him. She lowered it, and Ben was forced to do just that. He was at her beck and call, after all, even now - staring down the man who had been responsible for so much of his misery.

"Ha!" Snoke laughed out. "She's just as cowardly as you are,"

"Not quite," She muttered, helping Ben pull the mechanism on the crossbow. It landed itself deep into the flesh of his leg, and he groaned, falling to the floor. "You talk rather too much," She said as he went down.

His thugs came after them with renewed force, but he and Rey moved together like water, fending them off as if it wasn't the first time that they'd had to fight off thugs together. By the time the last one hit the ground, one of them had fled. Ben went after him down the passageway, his long strides catching up with ease - listening for each small movement to guide his way. Ben found him, disarming him and knocking his head against the wall with enough force that he slumped down; unconscious.

Ben returned to the room, finding Snoke holding his leg and attempting to keep the blood from spilling out of it. Rey had torn the fabric on one of the curtains and was roughly and very tightly tying it around his leg. With Ben's help, they moved him into the chair and tied him to it, propping him away from anything that he might be able to use should he overturn himself.

"Too weak, too weak," He kept muttering.

"Would rather not have your death on my conscious," She finally said. "And besides, death might be a little too good for you," She punched him. She punched him so hard that he passed out.

"Wow," Ben said, impressed. "He might die, you know,"

"I doubt it. He's too mean to die that easily," She admitted. "Let's go,"

They went through the door that Snoke had come from on the opposite side of the room. It lead down a very long staircase, and the chill factor dropped considerably the farther down into the earth they presumably got. Ben thought he could catch snippets of voices, of memories, but each time he tried to hold onto one it slipped away. It seemed as if it would be a never ending descent until they came down into what looked like a dungeon. Ben had not been aware the Palace had a dungeon, but he supposed he had been stupid for assuming that it didn't.

They moved in silence, in the dark, and Rey took the candle from him to try and make her way through the tight corridors. It finally opened out into a large place, and where Ben expected to find cells he saw only empty beds. He thought that he saw blood, but he turned his eyes quickly away to try and deny to himself that this was in fact the place that his uncle was making poison.

"He's been doing it here," Rey said, looking around. They expected to find groupings of people, but both of their faces fell when they realized that Luke probably had not let them live. Why would he leave them here when he knew that Ben might show up that night?

"We have no more than what we started with," Ben sighed out.

"There has to be more here," Rey said, kicking at one of the stone walls.

They were both surprised when it fell right out of the wall. They looked at each other, and quickly began pulling the stones down to create a big black hole where a draft came through. It was humid, strangely so, and smelled faintly of acrid death. He recognized the smell - it was the smell that hung so prevalent from his mother now that she had been poisoned. He smelled the copper tang of blood and knew it to be true. He and Brendol had been manufacturing this stuff right under everyone's noses. Rey held his hand briefly before she went through. Even if he didn't want to know, he realized he couldn't leave it now. He followed.

The air became increasingly more humid, and more uncomfortable. Ben had knowledge about sleeping poisons, but he'd never been including in the creation of one. He supposed it was necessary to keep the plants required alive, all of which were carnivorous. Rey got far ahead of him, and he listened for her in the dark until they came out into a wide area that reminded him of a hospital. There were beds lined against each wall, and in each bed was a small, dried human being, hooked up to a machine that Ben could only describe as hellish.

Rey shouted from across the room, waking him up from his horror.

"She's here!"

* * *

 **ohoohoho~~~~ there will be eventual smut you just hold onto ur little breeches**

 **also, snoke, ya sunuvabinch**

 **hope you liked! share/comment/follow me if you do!**


	14. Chapter 14

Ben followed the sound of her voice.

He was realizing what it might mean to disconnect her from the machine she was currently hooked up to. He wasn't sure that Rey's sister would even survive. He came to stand beside her, finally finding resolve to remove the mask from his face and toss it aside. He felt he would have no future use for it. He didn't know how to explain it, but he found soon that it wasn't necessary. He saw Rey's eyes glimmering with tears as she seemed to come to the very same realization that he had come to. To disconnect her would be to kill her, but to leave her connected to Luke's machines would be a slow, maybe torturous death.

He reached out for her hand, taking it into his.

"He was right," She said. "She's already dead,"

Ben didn't answer. He merely tightened his hand around hers. It was all he could do, really.

"I'm going to disconnect them," She said, using her forearm to wipe her tears from her face. She was decided, now. Anything had to be better than slowly being drained dry and dumb until one was a husk.

Ben let go of her hand and watched her begin her mission. Her sister was first, and though he could tell it was difficult, he could tell she was relieved to know that there would be no more suffering. Ben helped her, disconnecting them one by one until they all gave a last breath and fell into an utterly peaceful sleep. He had not meant to be this kind of murderer, but it felt like a kindness now.

When he continued on, Ben found an extended library full of documents. They were disorganized, the shelves lined with papers that were falling free of the books they'd been shoved into. Rey came to stand beside him, leaning down to pluck up some of the papers. They were difficult to make sense of, but eventually they both found that they'd been keeping track of their victims, though it was obvious that they were sure no one would ever see them again. Ben began reading through correspondence between his uncle and Brendol, and he realized that it went much further than this. When the full magnitude of what Luke was doing hit him, he stood up suddenly, causing Rey to start and look back at him.

"He's going to poison everyone tonight," He said. "We have to go,"

They ran up the stairs, even though they were the never ending stairs. He stopped for just a moment to reload the crossbow and pick up the remaining bolts. He left the one spent embedded in Snoke's leg. Ben broke the stone out of his pocket, his wild thoughts running through whatever he might do to try and stop his uncle from what he was about to do. He had to distract the entire room, and convince them to believe him. He had gathered as many documents as he could, but he didn't know how strong the evidence was.

They broke out into his chamber, finding it as empty as it had been before. By the time they slid into the ballroom, the music was roaring and the drink was flowing. Rose and the others were dancing and acting. Ben knew that there had been consumption, and he couldn't say for sure if any of it was tainted, but he was glad to find that most everyone was still upright. He slid a few inches on the shined floor, and his uncle came to notice him almost immediately.

He clapped loudly, causing the quieting music to still completely.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," Luke said, a smile on his face.

Ben still had the cross bow hanging in his hand. They had reloaded the bolt before they'd left Snoke to bleed out, and Ben leveled it at his cousin. She barely looked shocked, and Luke couldn't even manage to act like he was. He was angry, obviously, that his nephew seemed to have enough clout to pull a stunt like this.

"She's made you more brave," He said, motioning flippantly towards Rey. Towards Wildflower. "I didn't think you could ever find it in you to forgive her...but I suppose that was all just a part of my little joke,"

He ignored what Luke said about Rey. "Is she really my cousin?" Ben asked, motioning towards the girl who sat on the dias. She blanched, aware of the fact that she might really end up with a bolt embedded in her flesh.

"I don't know, why don't you give me the stone and we'll find out?"

"She isn't," Ben finally said. "You would have proudly admitted to the fact if she was,"

Luke laughed.

"You think that you know me?"

Ben let the bolt fly, and it hit his uncle with so much force that he fell backwards, obviously startled by the outright boldness of his once easily controlled nephew. Ben watched him, though he was forced to look away to begin shouting that the entire room should put down their food and drinks, which they did with some hesitance. They were looking between one another, concerned with the display.

Ben thought it might be over, but he knew better than to underestimate his uncle.

They came in like smoke, with billowing capes, black leather, and austere pale faces that showed no emotion. He remembered what Rose had said about Luke's girls, and how thorough and dangerous Rey was with a blade, and he knew that they were in trouble now. He felt Rey at his back, and he drew the blade that was strapped against his thigh, wondering where Rose and the others had ended up. He was vaguely hoping that they would make an appearance, as these girls didn't intend to stand there and pontificate as Snoke, or even Luke would have.

Neither he, nor Rey were at peak physical condition, both of them recently injured, but they managed to hold their own against the first few waves of onslaught. What they had, however, was sheer numbers, and Ben and Rey were only two. They found themselves cornered, and these girl assassins advancing. Rey had more luck, but she obviously knew how brutal they were. Ben loaded up another bolt, taking down a few of them in the process - but eventually he ran out of ammunition.

They were spared from further onslaught when his uncle righted himself, having one of these girls yank the bolt from his shoulder as if it hadn't bothered him at all. Ben watched him bleed, though he was quickly wrapped and tended to, he could see the red staining the white of his robe. It was eerie. They were breathless and sweaty, standing with their backs against the wall. Rey kept her stance, and they stood close enough that he could hear her breathing.

"I'm afraid it's too late, Ben,"

As if on cue, people started dropping like flies. They were in pain, some of them retching blood and other matter, before losing consciousness completely. He realized that there might be no one to see his cry that his uncle was evil. It might not matter at all, as Luke seemed to always be a few steps ahead of him. Ben came forward, no longer a caged animal. He refused to be cornered, and Rey struck out beside him, cutting down more of the strange pack of orphans that seemed to surround him. Each time they cut one down, another seemed to appear.

Ben advanced on his uncle, who was injured but still lighter on his feet. He moved quickly, and avoided each blow, deflecting. He landed more than one blow on Ben, causing him to stumble back just a bit. Ben caught him off guard, but a millisecond later, Luke returned the favor, catching his blade. He sent it spiraling across the shined floors, now piled with people who might never wake again.

"No one to see, no one to appeal," Luke said, a smirk crawling across his features in a fashion that Ben could only described as mad.

Ben couldn't find the time to respond, instead moving to retrieve his knife as quickly as he could. Luke managed to get ahead of him, sinking the tip of his sword into the meat of his bicep. Ben yelped out in pain, though an unusual burning and blurriness made it clear that Luke had poisoned his blade. Ben fell limp, and grasped his now bloody bicep. However, his good old dumb luck kicked in, and he used the opportunity to drive his palm into his uncles' wrist and disarm him of his poisonous blade. Ben regained his footing, and glanced at his uncle in a way that could only be described as stormy.

His uncle was irritated. He knew that much, though he carefully tried to school his expression into that mask of mad amusement. He was surprised at Ben, and Ben might have been surprised at himself. He was fighting his consciousness against the agent that was currently working it's way through his blood stream.

He thought he had better not waste time, then.

Ben bent down and grabbed his uncles' blade, turning it against him. It felt fortuitous, but he knew his uncle was waiting for him to lose consciousness and slump down at any moment. Ben continued to fight it, and he lost track of anything but the man who stood in front of him; the man who was responsible for so much of his suffering, and the suffering of others.

Ben swung, and swung again. Maybe he was blind in his motions, but his sword connected with flesh and he heard Luke grunt. He was seeing literal red, and Ben grasped his hand against his chest and Ben had realized that he'd disconnected his uncles' hand from his arm. It fell with a thump to the floor, spinning off and splaying blood each and every way across the once shining floor.

"Ben," His uncle rasped out, still laughing as he scrambled away to put distance between them. "You've changed,"

His uncle stumbled, losing his footing and falling backwards. It was likely the pain that caused it, and Ben lifted the blade high over his head with every intention of finishing the job he had started. He was only a body, moving with intent, and it was as if Ben had fallen to the back of his psyche and no longer had any control over his body. It was Rey's voice, shooting like ice through him, that gave him pause.

"Ben!" She gasped. They all paused, the girl assassins, and all those who were left standing.

Ben felt the sword drop from his hand, clattering once it hit the floor, spinning away uselessly. He was not going to kill his uncle, though he had not been so sure of that just a few moments ago. The action so sure before Rey's voice had brought him back to reality. He stumbled backwards, losing his own balance after fighting the pull of the poison for long enough. He grasped his arm and his thoughts became foggy - and he was sure he had heard his mothers voice; shouting out as Rey had done.

* * *

Ben regained consciousness a short time later to find that the entire dining hall was a war zone. At some point in time, Rose and her compatriots had shown up, held up by a particularly stringent band of thugs that had made sure to keep them from the festivities. The candles burned low, and some had been knocked over to light up against the fabric curtains that had once lushly decorated the place. Ben felt the burn in his eyes and the smoke in the back of his throat. He raised his forearm to cover his mouth, feeling the pain in his bicep from the poisoned wound that his uncle had inflicted on him.

Luke was nowhere to speak of.

Ben stumbled through the wreckage, unable to fully regain his senses. He desperately sought out Rey, and felt the sinking feeling that while he lost track of her, he hadn't been able to help her. However, the sinking feeling of despair lifted when he saw her, still hacking away at those strange girls that seemed to come out of every crack and crevice. He saw Rose, just as agile and effective as Rey, and the others fighting back the onslaught.

He was thankful for them, but his concern was his uncle, who had escaped.

His mother stood in his path, a fragmented memory (or so he thought). She was frail, all skin and bones, but she breathed and her eyes were open, clear and alert. She placed her hands on his chest, and though her strength was minimal, she thought to stop him. He paused in his death march after his uncle, confusion obvious in his face. This could not be his mother. He had left her sleeping in a small room hidden away from prying eyes and those that would continue to harm her. She was already dead - he was not meant to be this lucky. She grasped the fabric as tightly and with as much strength as she could managed in her weakened state.

"My boy," She said, and he heard in her raspy tones the months of sleep that she had yet to shake away.

Ben was so sure she was a ghost, and yet here she stood, so visceral. He reached out to grasp her thin arms, just to find she was indeed there, or he was indeed dying.

"Don't go after him," She pleaded. "You've lived through enough," She continued to beg, and he knew he did not have the strength to defy her.

The night was a long one. For Ben, it felt like a fever dream that he might never wake up from, the sleep paralysis that plagued him as a boy having long since crept into his real life, preventing him from moving, thinking, doing. The poison raged through him, and though he managed to keep some of his awareness, he was sure he had seen things that no man should see.

He vowed that he should never be poisoned again.

When it was at it's worst, he retched and vomited, trying to expunge the evil toxin from his body - the toxin that had no care for him, and only sought to synthesize what it could of him before leaving him a cold, dead corpse. He fought against the tides, and each time they turned he was sure that it might be his last fight; but eventually, it seemed that the winds turned ever more in their favor. He hoped, anyway, but maybe he was already dead.

When the sun finally rose, it seemed to lift the pallor of death that had settled on the evening, though when they were able to take a breath they were able to comprehend just what kind of death had been dealt that night. There were more dead than alive, and when the physicians were called, many were carried out, afflicted with the very same illness that Leia had been given so kindly by her brother. Ben did not know if she lived, or if, in a moment of utter terror, she had visited him before falling into her final, eternal rest. It was not an answer he would have that night, as he finally gave way to the overwhelming darkness of the poisoned blade, falling into a deep, dark, dreamless sleep.

* * *

It felt like a nightmare.

It was a fuzzy collection of images that came back to him at inopportune times, but he regained his consciousness rather quickly (compared to last time). He rested in his own bed, in the black chamber he had so proudly decorated years before. It no longer felt like home to him, though he hadn't found a home to speak of that wasn't this one. It was the palace, and he had found his way back somehow.

The curtains had been drawn back, filling the room with a searing sunlight that hurt his bruised eyes, and he felt a certain kind of deja-vu. How many times would he survive being stabbed? He didn't feel as if as much time had passed, and could not recount as many faces passing him by as they waited for him to wake up again...except for one, that is.

Rey.

When his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw her curled up beside him, having fallen asleep as she once had in the bedroom she had claimed was 'creepy'. Her hair was pushed forward, clinging to the curve of her lips, and the light did not seem to disrupt her sleep. He remembered what his uncle had said; he had been surprised at Ben's capacity to forgive her. Luke had wanted to rip away the first thing he had ever really cared for (outside of his mother, though he had tried to rip that away as well).

He wondered if she would be angry with him for nearly dying again.

Her hair had grown long in the months she had been at the palace, and it was straight as a pin and just as shiny. In the light, he could see the red he'd grown to love streaking through it. He reached out, drawing it away from her features as she slept, his fingertips brushing the soft apple of her cheek before sliding along the smooth flesh of her neck. He couldn't help himself, he was glad she lived.

He was glad, for once, that he lived.

Her skin was warmed by the sun, and she smelled faintly of lavender. When he looked around, he could see the telltale touches she had put on it, from the drying flowers hung upside down to the lush, warm toned fabrics slowly replacing the black and gray ones he had chosen for himself once upon a time. It began to feel more like a room that someone lived in, not just a room that someone visited occasionally.

When he touched her skin, she shifted like a feline, her body drawing out in a long fashion as she stretched and turned towards him. He smiled, watching her shift in her sleepy daze; unable to help himself as he did so. He did not wish to wake her, but was glad when he caught a glimpse of her bright, hazel eyes. She smiled her saturnine smile and her eyes fully opened against the light and he tilted his head, looking her over obviously.

"Rey," He said, as if they were two old friends who had just met again after a long time apart.

"Ben," She repeated, mimicking his tone playfully. "You've managed to live again," She smirked. "Dumb luck,"

He looked at her evenly. He could see that she was bruised, and likely hadn't survived the night without some sort of injury. He reached out, tilting her head gently to the side so that he could examine the bruising that dipped low on her collarbone, frowning at it.

"It was a long night," She finally said, scooting a bit to sit up in the massive cloud-sink that was his bed.

"I can't recall," He said, sarcasm sinking playfully into his tone.

She reached out, touching the injury. She traced the strange black veins that spread out around the wound. They would likely be there, another scar on his pale face to remind him of his uncle for life.

"Did anyone catch him?" He asked.

"No," Rey said quietly in reply.

Ben felt a mixture of emotions, he was glad Luke lived, but he knew that it meant that they might come up against him again in the future.

"Snoke died," She muttered in a quiet tone. "As if on cue," She admitted, wrapping her arms around her small frame in a gesture that was self comforting.

"And the people who were poisoned?"

"Some of them lived..." She frowned, glancing up at him beneath the fringe of her dark lashes. "Some of them didn't,"

"And my mother?"

"She lives," Rey smiled. Finally something to be thankful for.

"So she was there,"

"Poe brought her the moment she woke up," Rey bit her bottom lip. "She demanded it,"

"She would," Ben scoffed, unable to help his amusement.

He took her hands within his own, always vaguely bemused at how they dwarfed hers. She was warm, and he felt the need to draw her against him and never release her. Instead, he looked at her, and they sat like that for a few moments, simply regarding each other. He tightened his grasp on her hands before he drew them to his mouth, kissing her knuckles and then turning them over to kiss her palms. She watched him, curious, but she did not yank her hands from his own.

"Rey," He murmured, unsure of how to begin except for at the beginning. "Should we get married?" His gaze was curious, though he schooled himself from looking all-too-hopeful.

She looked utterly shocked, her mouth falling open. Teasingly, he reached out to put his finger at her chin and push it shut.

"Don't look so surprised," He said. "Haven't I made it clear how I feel?"

"Ben..." She began. He began to wonder if he might receive a denial. He supposed it would serve him right. "Are you sure? I did try to kill you. One might say I tried to kill you a few times," Her cheeks were vaguely tinged with red, then.

"I've never been more certain," He said, flatly.

She made him wait, for what seemed like an interminable time. Finally, when she spoke again, Ben was sure she had made up her mind to say no. She surprised him. She always did.

"Yes, of course," She laughed out, breathlessly. "Of course,"

He smiled, and then laughed. And then, he kissed her.

* * *

The mess his uncle had left behind had been far reaching. The night had passed and Ben put distance between himself and it as the weeks kept coming, but it seemed that there was always the dire reminder that they might never completely be free of it. No matter where he turned, something needed tending to, or repairing. Ben had little time to see the woman he loved, even.

He had been tasked with rebuilding the outlying towns that Luke had burned with the money that they had recovered from Luke's awful dealings. Ben was sure they might never know how far it went, or how much money he had gotten away with, but he realized all that they could do now was move forward. He spent weeks away, riding between the towns to oversee the project before it reached its completion, and when he came home there was ever more work to be done.

Those that had been poisoned had choked the infirmary for nearly the same amount of time he had been gone. They had brought in as many physicians as they could, and some of the people woke, and some of them didn't.

Ben also had the awful task of trying to match the bodies Luke had left behind with families and records. A good deal of them went unclaimed, sadly. Ben could not know how far and wide he had gone to claim these peoples lives, but he did all he could to try and give their families peace. Still, it rested awfully with him each night that there were still so many that did not have names. Surely there were those who cared for them, but Ben could not ever know it. Luke had taken a lot in his quest. His "cousin" had disappeared along with him, and though there had been a half-hearted search for the both of them, Ben was sure that no one wanted to find him. He felt he direly needed the time to heal, and likely so did his kingdom.

His mother lived on. She was stubborn, though he could see the toll that her time asleep had taken on her. She was more frail than she had ever been, but her strength seemed to carry her through, her small frame full of so much fire and will to live that he was sure he could never be her equal. Still, when he had told her of his plans to marry Rey, she had seemed genuinely thrilled. It was the first time in a long time she had taken his face into her hands and kissed him, just as she had when he'd been a boy and he thought he was too old for it.

The day that they were to be wed came on them quickly, even if there had been times when it seemed a lifetime to wait.

They had not convinced him to wear white, despite all of the joviality even that was too much for Ben. He had agreed on a deep wine red velvet, paired with a pair of tight fitting black breeches tucked into an equally shiny pair of boots. He wore a white sash in an attempt to compromise with his mother, though all he could think of when he saw white on red was his uncle stumbling backwards with a bolt stuck in his chest. His cape was tossed artfully away from his shoulders, a familiar look for him.

A new crown was placed atop his head, this one obsidian black. His hair was dark enough, but it glittered against his cranium, obvious even if it was the same color of his hair. It was thorny branches twisted up into a wreath; lovely and dangerous, and it seemed to be a perfect image for the once poisoned prince.

When he exited his chamber, he found his mother standing in the corridor. She wore black, though he could not fault her for doing so. Her gray-white hair was twisted up into a regal bun, and she looked every bit the matriarch of an ailing kingdom. He was surprised to see her, having expected to see her among the guests when he found his way out to the ceremony. She took his arm, and walked with him. They kept their pace slow, and for awhile, they were silent.

"To what do I owe the honor?" He finally asked, placing his hand over hers.

"I have been with you for every big event in your life," She said, smiling. "I thought it only necessary I walk you into this one, as well,"

Ben nodded, though he did not reply.

"Is it true, Ben?" She finally asked as they walked. They broke out into the courtyard, and summer had turned, the leaves turning all manner of colors and staining the ground with red rot and lovely decay.

"Is what true, mother?"

"Is it true...that she was the one who poisoned you,"

Ben stopped breathing.

"Yes," He finally said, his voice quiet.

"There was a time when I had thought if I ever found the person who did it, I would have them jailed," She admitted, stopping and turning to look at him.

"And you think I'm being foolish,"

"No," She said, simply. "Maybe. Perhaps its time you were a bit foolish," She smiled at him, patting his hand. "Your father and I didn't have enough foolishness between us," She admitted. "Not enough glue to keep us together all of those years,"

Ben frowned, placing his hand atop hers. They looked at each other, though Leia finally turned to drag him along out into the clearing of the forest where they had first met. He could tell that this was not what his mother had expected, but she was happy in any case, for her son. Even Han seemed pleased; now he could curtail all of the rumors about his son and why he hadn't married yet.

Rey was already standing there, the fallen leaves swirling around her. Poe was there, a book in hand, obviously given the job of bonding them both together. Her hair had been curled around her bare shoulders. She wore a wisp of a lace gown that clung to her frame, and it was embroidered with deep red chrysanthemums and golden daisies. The embroidered green leaves stood against the red of the flowers, making her look as if the flowers had taken her over completely and there was no lace at all to speak of. Atop her curled hair rested a petite golden crown that resembled his own. He could only bless his dumb luck that she was to become his wife.

The ceremony was a simple one. Poe read a few words before he pinned a red ribbon between them, heart to heart. It was meant to be simple, and they had all made the decision not to throw another huge celebration. Ben was sure that the Palace had seen enough parties, and they all needed time to move on before another would be thrown. Perhaps at his coronation, but Ben was intent on letting his mother remain Queen for as long as possible. He had gotten a taste of being King without her...and he found he wasn't ready. He wasn't ready until she was.

When it was complete, Rey took his hand and they walked out of the clearing together.

The reception was a quiet one. His mother and those that were closest to him decorated the garden lawn. There was tea, and dinner, and even a bit of the bubbly berry wine that Ben had gotten fond of sampling at parties. Whilst he and Rey sat together at the table, he found he grew tired of the honey crusted thwart-birds and the seared and scalloped seasonal veggies. He grew tired of the bubbly wine, and felt it go to his head. The ribbon was to stay connected between them, but when he grasped her hand and leaned into her ear, he found her understanding enough to unpin it from his breast to allow him respite back into his chambers. He kissed her hair and slipped out with promises that he would return soon. When Finn got up to follow, Leia stayed him with her slender hand, forcing him to sit.

Rey had completely changed his chambers. The blacks and grays had been replaced by warm reds and golds, and even a few greens. The sunlight and air from the chilly autumn day spilled into the chamber, the windows having been left open...and even a few dried leaves had crept in with the wind, laid out there on the carpeted floor. There were dried flowers hung in every cranny, and he smiled to find that her belongings had begun to overtaken his own. He didn't mind at all - this was the process of a life coming together with another life...or at least, he hoped it was. He took a seat at his desk and scrawled out a few words in a letter before he heard the door click and then shut behind whoever had opened it.

She filled his field of view, taking a seat at the edge of his desk in her brilliant wedding gown with her arms crossed over her chest.

"A fine way to start a marriage, poisoned prince," She said, a smirk on her features. Her lips were stained in that maddening berry hue. "Or should I say fugitive prince?" She teased.

"Neither," He murmured blandly, smirking. "I don't care for parties," He admitted, dropping his features against her taut stomach, his hands resting on her hips. He felt her fingertips dive into his dark mass of hair. The brush of her fingertips against his skull was almost ecstatic.

"Do you think they'll notice we're missing?" She teased, drawing her fingers across his cranium - plucking the crown from his head and setting it aside.

"No," He said facetiously against her stomach, though she tugged his hair and yanked his head back.

"I am disappointed in you, Prince," She teased, though he could only look up at her with lazy, satisfied eyes.

"Why, princess?" He asked, enjoying the way she rolled her eyes when he called her that.

"To leave a party so soon..." She paused, releasing her grip on his hair. "It's rude,"

"Better than a knee to the groin," He said, standing up from his seat and letting his eyes roam her lovely body, all angles and curves beneath her wedding gown.

"I wouldn't know," She said, though he gripped her to keep her from teasing him any further.

He turned her around, exposing the full expanse of her back to him. She leaned into the desk, planting her hands atop it and pushing her frame into a shape that could only be described as feline. She was teasing him still, he realized. The dress had a million threaded buttons which decorated the back of the dress, and he began to undo them one by one. Perhaps she had expected him to be in a hurry, but he enjoyed the slow process of exposing more and more of her skin. It felt reverent, somehow. He drew her hair away and kissed her shoulders and their blades, finding her skin warm beneath his mouth.

The dress fell away and she stepped out of it. She allowed him to unlace her underthings with skilled fingers. He hadn't even taken off his gloves. When she was completely bare, she turned around to look at him, a smirk on her berry stained lips. He looked her over, reaching out to slide his hands around her slender rib cage, fingertips brushing the underside of her breasts.

"Not the first time you've taken a girl out of her clothes," She laughed, and he smiled, unable to help it.

"You look beautiful," He said, hoping to derail this current line of conversation by kissing her mouth.

He didn't feel nervous when she began to tug at his clothing, where normally he might have. She had seen all of his wounds, anyway, and all of the scars that decorated him. She tossed the cape away with little care, and heard the heavy pins that had been used to keep it back thump to the floor. She undid his velvet and shoved it away, and they were forced to break contact when he felt her fingers brush along his bare abdomen before insistently pulling his shirt up and over his head.

"Hmm," She purred out, obviously pleased as she looked at him. She took his bottom lip between her teeth, nipping the flesh just enough.

She pulled him forward by the waist of his pants, fingertips undoing the leather belt he wore and before long he found himself just as naked as she was - well, except her delicate crown still propped atop her curls.

"Not the first time you've ever taken a boy out of his clothes," He said.

"Shut up and take me to bed," She drew her arms over his bare shoulders and he lifted her up, carrying her into the bedroom and slamming the door shut behind them.

The world was lost to them for awhile, the party going on below without them. They were slow and exploratory in their motions, finding that they had (or hoped they had) plenty of time to waste. He pressed her into the newly acquired bed sheets and found her looking up at him in a way that would always, always get him. He kissed the rose buds of her nipples, her stomach and then the soft flesh between her thighs, one of which he sunk his teeth into just so. It elicited a pleased gasp from the depths of her throat and he was sure he looked completely devious.

When he pressed the flat of his tongue against the sweet spot between her thighs, she shifted enough and it drew out another series of noises from her that made him so hard that it was hard to focus. All of the blood in his body felt as if it was certainly rushing into one place. He felt her fingertips grasp into his hair, and she pulled him tightly against her, her hips rolling with him until she met her inevitable conclusion, sighing and shivering beneath him.

He drew away when he was allowed to, licking the taste of her from his lips and watching her bask in the afterglow of the sensation. She glanced up at him, leaning up to take his length between her fingers, giving him a few feather light strokes which was only more maddening. She drew up and lead him down, pushing him back into the sheets now. She settled on his middle, her hands tracing his scars before she lead him inside of her, pushing her hips slowly down atop his.

A throaty groan escaped him, and she moved in such a painfully slow fashion that he grasped her hips, yanking her down atop of him and causing her to give a giggle intermingled with a moan. They moved slowly together until want took over and his motions became erratic, bucking up inside of her as she came down to meet him with equal measure. Her fingernails dug patterns into his skin and he grasped her so hard he might have left behind a few marks of his own.

She seemed merciless, and Ben found he had little control, that familiar feeling of hot intensity building before completely taking him over, causing him to push up inside of her before the intensity of it faded away, leaving them both sated and pleased, breathing heavily in the fading light of the autumn sunset.

Some time later, they laid beside one another, breathing slowly and drowsing sleepily in an ever darkening room. He had his arms around her and she was tangled up with him, the crown on her hair having gone askew and forcing him to pluck it from her hair and set it aside. She smirked at him lazily, nuzzling into his collar bone. Sometimes the wounds there still ached, but right now he hardly noticed.

He was not sure he had ever been this blissfully unaware of the world around him.

He placed a kiss to her hair before leaning back, drawing in a deep breath of air.

"Are you happy, wife?" He asked, that same tone of play taking up as it often did in most of their conversations.

She scoffed a bit in reply, laughing huskily.

"Yes, husband,"

* * *

 **this the end! this is the smuttiest smut i've EVER written. hope it's not terrible. hope it's at least not too cringey. not gonna lie, hated the first part of this chapter but i'm ready to be dooone with this. if you enjoyed it and stuck with it, i really appreciate your support and your kind comments! thank you so much for finishing it :)**


End file.
